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 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company operates this home for up to five children. The statement of purpose states that the home provides care for children who have a diagnosed autism spectrum disorder and/or learning difficulties. The home provides long-term care and accommodation, as well as short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

This home was registered with Ofsted in October 2013. The registered manager was registered with Ofsted at the same time. She also manages another home provided by this company.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 14 August 2019 to carry out a full inspection. The report is published on our website.

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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: SC466378 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/08/2019 Full Good 31/05/2018 Full Good 27/07/2017 Full Good 09/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC466378 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children looked happy, relaxed and comfortable in the home. They benefit from care which is personalised to their needs and focused on helping them develop independent living skills. Children are learning to cook, wash their plates and tidy up their rooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Behaviour management and care plans are designed visually to help children understand and contribute to them. Staff know children well and meet their needs. Staff use proactive strategies in behaviour management such as singing the children’s favourite songs to them and giving them praise, which works for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Case records mostly evidence the progress achieved by children. However, some case records lack important documents such as the local authority care plan and personal education plan. This may limit the home’s ability to effectively plan for children and their transition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress socially, emotionally, physically and educationally. Use of social stories and picture cards in key-work sessions has had a positive impact on children’s learning and progress. Their emotional self-regulation and communication have improved. One child achieved 100% school attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One school professional commented, ‘Staff are friendly, open and clearly care a lot for the children in their care. There was a big improvement in one child’s mental well-being since he started living in the home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy receiving care from a diverse and dedicated staff team. The staff express joy in their work and are making a positive difference in children’s lives. A staff member commented, ‘Coming to the home does not feel like coming to work. It feels like coming home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff communicate closely with social care professionals, schools and families to provide consistent care. One independent reviewing officer commented that staff work towards agreed targets for children. This evidences good joint working to improve outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy various activities in which they have expressed an interest or have actively made their choices known by using picture cards. These include dancing, exercising in the park, colouring, yoga, barbeque in the garden, cooking and baking.

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

Children live in a safe environment in the home. The appropriate staffing ratio ensures that children receive the necessary supervision and support. Inspection report children’s home: SC466378 4 Managers reviewed and updated safeguarding policies. Staff know how to raise safeguarding concerns. However, staff might benefit from further refresher training regarding external reporting of safeguarding concerns.

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

At the time of the inspection, refurbishment work was being carried out at the home. The registered manager confirmed that the small hole in the wall will be filled in and the damaged wardrobe will be replaced.

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

Risk management plans are of a good quality and detailed. They reflect children’s individual complex needs and behaviour triggers. This helps staff to follow the plans easily and help children self-regulate their emotions. Family members told the inspector that children are a lot calmer.

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

Effective boundaries help children learn positive behaviour. Family members commended staff in their consistencies in this area. There have not been significant incidents or restraints in the home.

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

The COVID-19 pandemic has been well managed. Staff have been resilient in coping with self-isolation periods. Staff helped children understand and engage with self- isolation using social stories and picture cards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers and staff are dedicated to making a positive difference to children’s lives. Professionals and family members consistently told the inspector that the home provides very good care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers know their strengths and areas for improvement. They identified and acknowledged that staff supervision, training and qualifications are areas in need of improvement. Managers are working to make improvements in these areas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The requirements and recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed. The home improved its quality assurance system, focusing on obtaining feedback from children, family members and professionals. However, the independent visitor’s recommendations should be implemented in a timelier way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safe recruitment and employment practices prevent unsuitable persons from working with children. Although the home employs some agency staff, they have been stable and working in the home for a long time. The agency staff have built very positive relationship with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff told the inspectors that they feel supported and valued. One staff member commented, ‘The registered manager is the best manager I have ever worked with in relation to equality, inclusiveness, support and encouragement.’ Another staff member said, ‘The managers are exceptional in terms of staff support and caring for children.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC466378 5 Children live in a clean, comfortable, bright and welcoming home. Their rooms are decorated to reflect their interests and include personal family pictures. One social worker commented, ‘The house has a very homely atmosphere.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC466378 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. In particular, to ensure that staff receive refresher safeguarding training and complete their level 3 qualifications, and the deputy manager receives supervision training. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that any placing authority is challenged to provide a complete and current relevant plan. In particular, the home should ensure that case files contain up-to-date care plans and personal education plans from the placing authority. This will inform care planning for the children concerned. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policy on record keeping. In particular, to ensure that recordings capture what update is made in care plans and on what date. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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 standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC466378 7

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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

Gulcin Ardic, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC466378 8 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

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