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

Inspection report children’s home: SC068789 1 SC068789 Registered provider: London Borough of Hillingdon

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Full inspection 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 nine children staying for short breaks or long-term care.  In the statement of purpose, the provider states that care is provided for children who may have physical and/or learning disabilities and emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.  The manager was registered with Ofsted in February 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 10 to 11 December 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 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC068789 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/05/2018 Full Good 14/06/2017 Full Outstanding 16/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC068789 3

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Recommendations

 Staff must help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27). Specifically, this relates to preparing children for the safe use of the internet and social media.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and settled. They enjoy good relationships with staff who understand each child’s individual need, likes and dislikes. Staff seek children’s views and act upon them. A social worker praised the way that staff had helped a child with the transition of moving from their family into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience a good range of positive experiences in the community, such as attending cadets, going on outings and volunteering. Those children who were nominated for the ‘children in care’ awards enjoyed getting dressed up for the event and meeting others at the ceremony. Within the home, children enjoy a range of equipment, toys and activities that meet their sensory needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote education. All children attend school regularly, unless too unwell to do so. Staff support children with their homework and help them to learn outside of the school day, such as through games and reading. Staff encourage children to do as much for themselves as possible to help them feel more independent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children seem ‘at home’. They move freely about the building, choosing what they would like to do, or spend time in their bedrooms. There is a good balance between creating a low-arousal environment and personalising children’s bedrooms. Staff have painted murals on some walls, which the children like.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well supported. Children are carefully prepared for any health interventions they may need or for routine appointments. This helps reduce their anxiety and build confidence, increasing the likelihood of positive health outcomes. Staff training ensures that children with complex needs are able to use the service. Inspection report children’s home: SC068789 4

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

Staff support children to self-regulate their feelings and to express themselves in a safe way. Staff conduct good risk assessments to manage and reduce the risk of children self- harming. A social worker said, ‘They (the child) have settled well and have not self- harmed while living in the home.’

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

Staff manage children’s behaviour well, using good tools and techniques, such as praise, rewards, stickers and sanctions. Staff work with other professionals to help children learn skills that could potentially support a successful return to their family home. Children have a sense of achievement and are further encouraged to improve their behaviour.

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

The complaints policy is accessible to children who are able to communicate their concern. Those children who are unable to communicate any concerns are reliant on the staff to notice any changes in their demeanour or mood. Staff are confident advocates for children and understand the many risks presented to children because of their vulnerability. Staff respond calmly and kindly in meeting children’s needs.

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

The physical environment is safe and well kept. The registered manager arranges maintenance work carefully around children’s needs, such as painting and decorating, which took place while children were in school. The registered manager and staff work well with professionals and parents to improve children’s safety and outcomes.

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

Staff manage allegations and restraints appropriately. The designated officer says that staff have a good understanding of safeguarding, seek advice and report concerns, with good open communication. Staff protect children from the risks of social media. However, some children may not develop skills to protect themselves from such risks when they have moved on from the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and leaders show passion for improving children’s lives. The home is well led by an experienced and qualified registered manager. She is well thought of as a child-focused leader who is accessible to both staff and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable, with little change during this inspection year. Some staff have worked at the home for many years. Families appreciate this as they know staff well and trust the staff to care for their children. The registered manager makes use of bank and agency staff to keep ratios between children and adults high.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff appreciate working in a positive team. One member of staff said, ‘It’s a caring, fun environment and the staff work well as a team and care about the children.’ A parent whose child uses the short-break service said that the best thing about the home is ‘the environment and the staff’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff work well with professionals and parents to improve children’s safety and outcomes. Staff reported that they get enough supervision and good training to help Inspection report children’s home: SC068789 5 them meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular reviews of the service by the registered manager and an independent visitor have helped its development. The registered manager has ensured that the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection have been met, which has further improved the service.

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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: SC068789 6

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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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Inspectors:

Jacqueline Graves, social care regulatory inspector Jayshree Pillay, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC068789 7 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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Inspectors:

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Inspectors:

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Inspectors:

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