Children's Home run by Destiny House in Harrow

Inspection report children's home: SC038906 1 SC038906 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s manager was registered in March 2021. The responsible individual is a regular presence in the home and has been in post since the opening of the home in 2002.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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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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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

Date of last inspection: 20 January 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC038906 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/07/2019 Full Good 07/02/2019 Interim Not judged 12/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: SC038906 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children quickly form trusting and long-standing relationships with staff and make good progress at this home. Children continue to return to the home for advice and support, long after they have moved out. One child said, ‘This is the best place ever.’ In addition, one placing social worker commented, ‘The placement has been pivotal towards the progress he has achieved.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Expectations surrounding behaviour are clearly explained to children on arrival in their home. Children respond well and engage in education. Last summer one child achieved a vocational qualification and passed five other exams. This is rightly a source of pride for both him and the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a proactive staff team. Staff contacted a local school prior to one child moving into the home so that they could ensure quick access to suitable school provision. This avoided any drift or delay and helped support the child to establish positive and structured routines on arrival.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from effective direct work from staff. Recently, staff used a doll to help prepare a child for the forthcoming birth of his son. Other benefits include working with children to reflect on the impact of their actions. This included successfully encouraging a child to engage with his allocated youth offending service worker. As a result, the worker was able to advocate for him more effectively in an ongoing criminal case.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home strives to engage parents and wider family where appropriate. Staff wrote to a non-engaging parent to explain their role and the support they planned to offer their son. Consequently, the anxieties of the child lessened as the parent became less resistant and supported the child to attend school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Behaviour management is consistent and effective. Staff take children’s history into account when planning their approach, for example, talking in a calm manner where children have previously experienced raised voices at home. This allows children to settle quickly into the home.

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

Risk assessments and care plans are of good quality and are informed by staff contacting key professionals for missing information. Recently, this involved contacting a solicitor for updated information about offending behaviour and court dates. Staff used this information to attend court with a child and successfully support a bail application.

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

Children benefit from the support of a drama therapist, commissioned by the home. During a recent session with the drama therapist, a child reflected on previous Inspection report children's home: SC038906 4 offending behaviour using role play. This allowed the child an opportunity to reflect on the impact of crime for victims.

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

The home continues to use closed-circuit television (CCTV) in the communal areas, with the signed consent of children and their placing authorities. Although some footage has supported a police investigation, managers understand that this is not always appropriate and are committed to regularly reviewing its use. At present, the children’s guide does not refer to CCTV or the use of room searches in the home. This could present grounds for confusion and misinformation.

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

Multi-agency work is positive, and the home has clear channels of communication with professionals. Recently, this has resulted in daily contact for a child exhibiting concerning behaviours. This ensures the swift exchange of sensitive information, such as an increased risk of criminal behaviour, and promotes a strong safeguarding culture in the home.

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

The home’s COVID-19 procedures are effective. Staff and children adhere to clear guidance and there have been no reported cases among children or the staff team. This has meant children have had a consistent staff team caring for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team at the home is stable. The newly registered manager and the responsible individual work effectively in partnership to support the home. The registered manager has settled well into her post and is respected by both children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from a consistent, experienced and skilled staff team. There are two qualified teachers and a qualified social worker who use their skills to drive a culture of aspiration at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is strong. There have been no staff departures for over 10 years in the home. Staff feel valued and supported by managers with consistent supervision, training, and performance appraisal. At present, the quality of staff performance appraisals is limited by the omission of feedback from children and colleagues in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Planning for children coming to live at the home is good. Managers have the confidence and experience to manage children with complex needs and support staff to achieve positive changes for them. One social worker commented, ‘They offered him a home when nobody else was coming forward.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The risk assessment of the local area does not include enough information on the risks posed by gangs. This would support decisions about whether the home is a suitable place for some children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers make a thorough assessment of information prior to accepting a child to live at the home. Prior to the last two children arriving, Inspection report children's home: SC038906 5 managers conducted home visits to parents. This supported a thorough assessment of need and established a framework for effective partnership working. This also helped to establish a sense of joint ownership with families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers advocate for children effectively. Recently, this involved liaising with the allocated inspector to challenge poor care planning from a local authority. This ensured the child received the specialist support required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The most recent management monitoring report, filed in April 2021, did not include any feedback from children and staff. This shortfall does not help the leaders and managers to improve practice or support Ofsted’s oversight of the home. Inspection report children's home: SC038906 6

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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 registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

This is with reference to the specific risk posed by gangs in the local area. 1 July 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure they oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with: each child; the home’s staff; each child’s family/carers where appropriate; and professionals involved in the care or protection of each child including their social worker. In particular, feedback from children should be included in the management monitoring report. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide helps children to understand what the day-to-day routines (‘what happens in the home’) are. In particular, the children’s guide should offer specific information on the use of video surveillance in the home and the policy with regards to room searches. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that performance appraisals consider the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and the views of the children in the home. In particular, this allows for a full and useful account of conduct and behaviours which may be having an impact on relationships with the child, families and professionals. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report children's home: SC038906 7

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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’.

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Inspector

Barnaby Dowell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC038906 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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