Children's home run by London Borough of Barnet

Inspection report children‟s home: SC034134 1 SC034134 Registered provider: London Borough of Barnet

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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 local authority-owned home provides care for up to six children. The home‟s statement of purpose states that it is a home for children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It further states that the home specialises in caring for young people who have suffered some sort of trauma in their early years such as sexual, physical or emotional abuse, or neglect. The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2013.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 November 2019

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers 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: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC034134 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/12/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/10/2017 Full Good 17/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC034134 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 protection of children standard The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of harm to the child. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)) In particular, the registered person should provide a written record that full consideration has been made regarding the impact of a new placement on the existing group of young people. 07/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s s safety. The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that— the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

07/02/2020 Inspection report children‟s home: SC034134 4 (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the child; details of the child’s s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 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”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) 07/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— a description of the measure and its duration; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(vii))

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Inspection judgements

Inspection report children‟s home: SC034134 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, managers and staff have continued to make improvements to the service. This includes the continued refurbishment of the home. These improvements provide young people with a comfortable and homely environment in which to live. Staff have good relationships with young people which are based on warmth and trust. Staff treat young people with dignity and respect. Young people spoken with said that they feel that the registered manager and staff listen to what they want and act on their wishes. All the young people currently living in the home have access to education or training courses. The registered manager works closely with educators to ensure that there is effective communication. One young person is currently completing a course in journalism, while another young person receives tuition to improve his English. Young people who have recently moved to independent living have gained GCSEs and are enrolled on various apprenticeship

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

schemes such as early years training and children’s s social care. Young people have made progress in many areas of their lives. For example, young people have worked with the staff to reduce their use of illegal substances, resulting in a reduction in young people’s s missing behaviour. Staff have helped young people to organise their time, eat healthily and to make decisions about their own futures. Staff also help young people to access and actively participate in counselling sessions. This helps young people to make sense of their past. Young people who have had multiple placement breakdowns quickly settle into the home. Much of this is due to staff setting clear boundaries with the young people and ensuring that they maintain a ‘whole team’ approach to supporting young people. During the inspection, the inspector overheard a young person thanking his key worker for being the ‘fa father figure’ in his life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people participate fully in their key-work sessions with staff and use these sessions to explore issues and increase their understanding. Topics include talking about relationships, staying emotionally and physically safe, family dynamics and regulating their behaviour. For one young person, this has resulted in a return to his family due to the significant and positive changes in his behaviour.

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improvement to be good

The assessment and management of risk in the home is varied. Senior managers have taken decisions to place young people in the home without consulting the registered manager. Consequently, this approach means that written impact risk assessments are often too brief and fail to consider the support needs of the young person concerned and the potential impact on the other young people already living in the home. As a result, staff are often not equipped with the necessary resources Inspection report children‟s home: SC034134 6 and skills to care for the young person concerned. For example, a young person admitted to the home on an emergency basis without a support plan being in place drifted into permanently living in the home. This was after the registered manager recognised that the staff team did not have the expertise or skills to manage the young person’s s complex support needs, and had herself made

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improvement to be good

numerous requests to the local authority for a planned move so that the young person could be placed somewhere more suitable. Behaviour and risk management processes for young people who move into the home in a planned way are robust. Written assessments outline the known risks and provide strategies for staff to reduce them. Staff identify any issues relating to the care of young people and respond appropriately. Staff are skilled in behaviour management and can often confidently redirect young people’s behaviour if they become anxious or distressed. The staff ethos is one of rewarding and encouraging young people. In the main, restraint is used appropriately. However, restraint records are not kept in line with regulations. There is a lack of management scrutiny of the appropriateness of physical interventions. As a result, the safety of young people could be compromised. Many of the young people living in the home have become increasingly safer as staff

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improvement to be good

have helped them to reduce their difficult and risk-taking behaviours. This includes young people reducing the occasions that they misuse drugs or stay away from the home without permission for long periods of time. Safer recruitment practices for staff who are employed permanently ensure that staff are suitably vetted before they start work in the home. However, the process for agency staff is not robust enough and potentially poses a risk to young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is an experienced and suitably qualified leader who knows the service, her staff team and the young people well. Staff were complimentary about the support that they receive from the registered manager. Staff morale in the team is good. However, the staff team was less enthusiastic of senior managers. Staff noted feeling disempowered and of being unappreciated and undervalued. Staff spoken with said that they felt managers have no real understanding of the complex work that they undertake to support young people living in the home. Senior managers making decisions to place children in the home with little or no consultation with the registered manager or her assistant managers is a great cause of concern. Staff are committed to supporting young people to make progress in all areas of their lives. Team meetings and supervision sessions are effective forums for staff to share up-

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

to-date information about young people‟s progress. Placing social workers complimented the registered manager and staff team. They described the staff as „supportive‟ and that they „always keep in touch and provide young Inspection report children‟s home: SC034134 7 people‟s updates daily‟. A young person described the staff as „caring like a family‟. The registered manager and the staff team work well with families and professionals. This approach is central to practice in the home and ensures that the home meets the aims and objectives contained in its statement of purpose. The registered manager has produced a realistic development plan. She continues to consolidate staff practice and train and support new members of staff through their induction.

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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: SC034134 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: London Borough of Barnet

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Building 4, North London Business Park, Oakleigh Road South, London N11 1NP

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Inspector

Juanita Mayers, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC034134 9 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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