Children's home run by Area Camden Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1251364 Registered provider: Area Camden Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately operated children’s home which is registered to care for up to six children, irrespective of gender, who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of children

How well children and young people are good helped and protected

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Overall experiences and progress of children

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of children

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

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Date of last inspection: 18 December 2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1251364 Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2018 Full Good 10/10/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1251364

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children and young people achieve good outcomes; they make good use of their placement, enjoy working with staff and have positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education outcomes vary. Some children and young people attend college very regularly and are making excellent progress. Others, however, do not make good use of educational resources and so their learning outcomes are poor.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people’s healthcare needs are well met, and they lead healthy lifestyles. They have access to primary healthcare and specialist services. Staff provide good support and advice in relation to key healthcare issues, such as diabetes, sexual health and personal hygiene. Children and young people are also supported to maintain good emotional health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people build positive relationships with staff. When these relationships are formed, they enable the development of very strong attachments. In such cases, children and young people heed the advice and support of staff and they make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people benefit from the good communication between staff and other professionals. Staff keep social workers updated with pertinent information about children and young people. Managers are prompt in convening professionals’ meetings to explore placement issues and difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are encouraged to be as independent as possible. Some make progress by improving their personal care skills, managing their money and applying for jobs or college. This helps them to prepare for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people have good opportunities to share their views and opinions. For example, they make menu choices and choose their preferred leisure activities. Key-work sessions and residents’ meetings are held regularly. Children and young people know how to make complaints. All complaints received have been resolved appropriately.

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

Children and young people are protected from harm, abuse and neglect. The home has comprehensive safeguarding and child protection policies that are applied effectively by staff. Staff inductions and training have a strong focus on child Inspection report children’s home: 1251364 protection issues. Staff are now very familiar with safeguarding protocols; this was not the case at the last inspection.

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

Staff speak regularly with children and young people about the risks posed when they are away from the home, especially overnight. Managers are prompt in devising risk assessments that offer guidance to staff about managing children and young people who are absent without permission. There is good liaison between staff, police and social workers. However, the number of missing incidents remains high; this places children and young people at considerable risk.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been no instances of children or young people making allegations against staff.

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

Children and young people receive help and support to manage their behaviour and feelings. Staff praise and reward positive behaviour. There have been no recorded incidents where staff have restrained children or young people.

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

Communication between staff and safeguarding professionals is good. Designated officers, the police and local authority social workers are appropriately informed of safeguarding incidents.

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

Staff work hard with children and young people to help them understand the risks that they may face. Key-work sessions, safety plans and residents’ meetings have a regular focus on things that children and young people can do to help to keep themselves safe. Staff ensure that they have access to resource packs that include useful contacts and information about a range of relevant safeguarding issues.

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

The premises are safe and secure. Children and young people are very comfortable in their surroundings. The building is well-furnished, decorated and maintained to a very high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the home’s last inspection, the manager has been registered with Ofsted. The registered manager is appropriately qualified and experienced to manage the home. For most children, the environment provided by the home is successful in supporting them to be safe and make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The placement of a small number of children were ended in an unplanned way when leaders recognised that despite their efforts they could not continue to meet the needs of these children. Leaders acknowledge that records used to document matching and placing of children are not always sufficiently detailed and do not clearly document the rational for decisions to accept children in the home. Inspection report children’s home: 1251364 The quality of record-keeping has much improved since the last inspection. The exception to this is the recording of critical incidents. Records of one very serious incident is signed only by senior staff who were not present at the time of the incident. Records lacked clarity about the precise action taken by staff during the incident. Leaders and managers are to ensure that records of such incidents are clear and accurate. These should include written records by staff who witness or are

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) in communal rooms and areas is not conducive to the open, nurturing environment described in the home’s statement of purpose. The behaviour of children and young people when in the home is generally good. The use of CCTV is not in line with recent Ofsted guidance about surveillance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose states that the home has signs erected to alert visitors to the use of CCTV. However, during the inspection no signs were visible at the entry to the home. Staff put an appropriate notice in place when this was brought to their attention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The supervision, appraisals and formal training for the staff team are very good. Staff meetings are frequently held. This provides staff with a consistent level of support and guidance. This is important to help enhance staff knowledge about and skills in working effectively with vulnerable children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing levels are appropriate. Staff are recruited in line with safer recruitment guidelines. Staff are passionate about the work that they do. They invest their personal time and are committed to supporting children and young people to have positive experiences.

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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

Inspection report children’s home: 1251364 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and 01/06/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 1251364 make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)) In particular, that the registered person devises a process that outlines decision-making around moving children between homes run by the organisation.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff’s recording of information is clear and accurate. This relates to incident reports. 01/06/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24(1)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 01/06/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 1251364

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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 stand ards’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Turnpike Lane, London, Middlesex N8 0EP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nuala Harrington

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Inspector

Sandra Jacobs-Walls, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1251364 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report children’s home: 1251364

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