Children's home run by Mig House Residential Care Home Ltd in Waltham Forest

SC062785 Registered provider: Mig House Residential Care Home 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

This children’s home provides care for up to nine young people. The home’s statement of purpose states that the home looks after young people with severe, mild or moderate learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager registered with Ofsted in June 2012 and is appropriately qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 November 2019

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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: 27 November 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/11/2018 Full Outstanding 30/11/2017 Full Outstanding 02/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/11/2016 Full Outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is making a significant difference to young people’s lives. By working in partnership with young people, managers and staff deliver individual and measurable programmes that support young people to take positive and confident steps to live happier lives. Several professionals, including placing social workers and educators, speak very highly of the registered manager, the staff team and the quality of care that they provide.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are extremely happy in their home and make exceptional progress. There is a genuine warm and convivial atmosphere in the home. One young person said, ‘The staff care about me. Before l came to live here I had not been to school. [X] helped me get back to school. I am happy and feel safe here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Communication with young people is of paramount importance to leaders and staff. Staff make excellent use of technology, such as ‘The Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display system’, ‘emotion boards’ and ‘helping hands symbols’ to enhance young people’s communication. This assists young people to express their concerns or anxieties but also to have fun. Staff support young people with both compassion and perseverance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The improvement in the emotional and physical well-being of young people is outstanding. Young people new to the home settle in quickly to living in a home with nurturing staff who provide excellent care. Staff ensure that young people experience appropriately warm and loving relationships in the home and provide opportunities for young people to share feelings with staff and with each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff work tirelessly and advocate on behalf of young people to ensure that they have access to the most appropriate education. Staff communicate extremely effectively with school staff. A school principal commented: ‘ All three of our students [who live at the home] speak very positively about their experiences there.’ An independent advocate identified that the staff team had been instrumental in the success of a plan to transition a young person back to their family home. There was also recognition of the excellent work carried out in listening to the views and wishes of the young person and to engage the young person’s mother and work in partnership with her. Young people learn to develop resilience, confidence and self-care skills appropriate and necessary for adulthood. Staff work meticulously on transitions with placing authorities and advocate to ensure that alternative provision can meet the needs and expressed

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

Risk assessments and behaviour support processes are of the highest quality. Staff understand the complex needs and behaviours of the young people. Assessments guide staff in allowing young people to take safe, managed risks under close supervision.

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

Excellent partnership working with other professionals ensures that strategies to reduce risks to young people are consistent, detailed and highly effective. Staff work with young people on their decision-making and the consequences of their decisions. This has resulted in a dramatic reduction in the number of incidents of negative behaviour by young people.

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

The registered manager and staff consistently promote positive behaviour and interaction with others. Staff’s expectations of young people’s behaviours are clear and purposeful.

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

Staff use the close relationships that they have with young people to intervene promptly when young people display challenging behaviour. Good manners are seen as important and this helps young people to develop their ability to regulate their own behaviours and learn positive ways of how to treat others.

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

Young people do not go missing from the home. This is despite some of them having a history of going missing from their family home and education establishments. A headteacher commented, ‘Staff are very effective in keeping young people safe.’

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

Staff are committed to ensuring that young people have fun and control over much of their daily lives and their relationships with others. Understanding of keeping safe, both physically and sexually, is woven into all aspects of the support and care provided for young people. This includes staff carefully recording the small details that are important to young people, such as subtle changes in the young person’s behaviour that may point, for example, to a health concern.

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

Work undertaken with parents is highly effective. Staff support parents with comprehensive advice and guidance on improving the quality of direct contact with their children. A parent commented, ‘It is impossible to put into words how much the staff have helped me and my son. We now spend enjoyable time together and l am no longer anxious or worried about his behaviour when l have contact with him.’

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

Recruitment practices follow strict safeguarding protocols. Managers are aware of the broader risks to young people, including internet abuse. Computers have safety controls, which protect young people from unsuitable sites. Managers prioritise the safety of the premises, which is supported through a comprehensive range of risk assessments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager leads by example and demonstrates an unquestionable commitment to ensuring that the highest quality care is provided for young people. She provides staff with strong, decisive and inspirational leadership and has a dynamic vision for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager enables her staff to grow and develop professionally, which ensures that they offer exceptionally high-quality care to vulnerable and complex young people. She has created an atmosphere and culture that celebrates the young people’s successes and outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Young people thrive in the setting and develop strong attachments, and secure relationships with each other and the staff team. A parent commented, ‘The staff are very caring, and the low turnover of staff means that my son gets consistency in his care.’ Staff morale is very positive. Staff spoken with said that they felt that the registered manager values their professional development and goes ‘over and above’ to support them. A staff member said, ‘I enjoy that we work as a team and strive every day to make or improve the quality of young people’s lives.’ Partnership working is excellent. Staff and managers work exceptionally well with parents, social workers and other professionals. The registered manager appropriately challenges external agencies and always advocates in the best interests of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

An outstanding example of this was when the registered manager pursued the wishes of a young person who wanted to go to college yet remain living in the home. The registered manager subsequently requested an educational tribunal for the young person. The tribunal ruled in the young person’s favour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The high quality of management monitoring and oversight drives service improvement. The registered manager is highly innovative and encourages this approach in her staff team. She uses wide-ranging research to inform practice and to help the staff to develop and learn more about the complex needs of young people.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Mig House Residential Care Home Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8 Bushwood, London E11 3AY

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Khairoonessah Dustagheer

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Inspector

Juanita Mayers, social care inspector 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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