Children's home run by Harmony Residential Homes Limited in Barnet

Inspection report children's home: 1226612 1 Registered provider: Harmony Residential Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private organisation. It provides care for four children who have experienced trauma and have associated social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this home on 2 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted 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: 1226612 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/08/2019 Full Good 20/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/08/2018 Full Good 12/09/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: 1226612 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy trusting and meaningful relationships with the staff. Staff know the children well and engage with them in ways that the children can relate to. Staff are patient and understand how difficult it may be for some children to trust adults. They realise that some children need the time and space to get to know new people and feel comfortable around them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress in many areas of their lives. One child has grown in confidence in social situations. This progress has been slow, but staff have persevered to encourage the child to build social-interaction skills. Another child is having counselling sessions and is making progress in dealing with their difficulties. The staff empower the children to express themselves as individuals and fully consider their age, gender, and cultural needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team provide a structured daily routine and as a result, one child has maintained a 100% attendance at school and is achieving great results.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff actively seek the children’s views. Staff provide children’s meetings and key-worker sessions and encourage children to talk about issues related to communal living. Staff work hard to ensure that children’s views are sought and acted on. This means that children are able to influence and plan their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a warm, cosy and child-friendly home. There is space for them to sit and have dinner together or have their own privacy. The overall quality of the furnishings and fixtures is of a good standard.

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

The staff are very clear about risks and keep children safe. They assess risks well and take appropriate steps to reduce them. Staff give children clear expectations and boundaries. This consistent and planned approach works well; the home is very settled and there are few instances of challenging behaviour.

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

Staff use a nurturing approach that relies heavily on positive rewards and incentives. Generally, this works very well. However, on occasions the manager has signed off rewards that she issued, without the objective oversight of another manager. Sanctions are used minimally; however, these can rely on deductions to children’s money to replace damaged items. The staff have not considered restorative justice, and this does not help children to reflect on their behaviours.

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

There has only been one episode of a child going missing from the home since the last inspection. When this happens, the staff do all that they can to locate the child. Relevant people are informed and when children return, staff ensure that they are well cared for. Inspection report children's home: 1226612 4 The manager ensures that the home is well maintained. Regular checks are undertaken in regard to electrical items, heating systems and fire prevention equipment.

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

The managers ensure that staff go through a rigorous selection procedure, and candidate’s suitability is carefully checked. They make sure that the staff have the right personal qualities, enthusiasm and values to work with vulnerable children. Good checking systems make sure that every effort is made to prevent unsuitable people from working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has recently returned from maternity leave. She is very experienced and suitably qualified for the role. She provides good leadership and maintains a focus on making a meaningful difference to children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff work well together and speak highly of the manager and the responsible person. However, there are times when the staff have been put under pressure by staff shortages. There have been occasions when there have not been enough staff to care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have a daily handover and attend team meetings to reflect on the children’s progress. This gives staff time to share important information about children’s plans and discuss the day-to-day running of the home. There are regular opportunities for staff to develop their understanding of the home’s procedures. These forums help the staff to support children consistently and work as a cohesive team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aware that there are shortfalls in record-keeping and is working with the staff to address these. The staff do not have clear procedures to follow when managing bullying incidents. Although they deal with bullying incidents, there is a lack of clear guidance in how best to manage and record these. Complaints are not recorded in enough detail, and a search of a child’s bedroom was not documented properly. All of these records fail to include the required details. Despite this, children are supported. The staff are able to relay the support they have provided to each child, and other records provide evidence of the actions taken by the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and responsible person work hard to establish and maintain good working relationships with families and other professionals. Children’s social workers and educational professionals highlighted the quality of communication from the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers prioritise staff development. They recognise that informed and trained staff positively influence the care that the children receive. Staff receive good training, and most staff are either qualified to or are working towards a level 3 diploma in residential childcare. However, one member of staff has not completed their level 3 diploma within the required time frame. Inspection report children's home: 1226612 5 Staff supervision meetings involve discussions about children and their individual needs. However, some staff have not received supervision in line with the policy, which means they may not get the individual support that they need. Staff are able to reflect on their own learning needs and particular areas for development during regular clinical supervision. These meetings give the staff team the opportunity to share ideas as a team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home and produces monthly reports. The reports do not give a good overview of the home and fail to include the views of the staff or the children. The reports do not identify relevant shortfalls or provide effective monitoring, and this reduces the benefits of this external safeguard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s review of care is an informative document. However, feedback from professionals, staff and the children are not included which would enhance its overview.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has met the three requirements raised at the last inspection. Inspection report children's home: 1226612 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 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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)) 31 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b)) 31 March 2022 Inspection report children's home: 1226612 7 The registered person must prepare and implement a policy for the prevention of bullying in the home, which must in particular set out the procedure for dealing with an allegation of bullying. (Regulation 34 (3)) 31 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 31 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person required

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (2)(a) (4)(a)(b) (7)(a)) 31 October 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when children’s rooms are searched, records of the search are clear and accurate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that when sanctions are used to address poor behaviour, these should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour and recognising when children have managed situations well. In particular, ensure that rewards are reviewed by staff Inspection report children's home: 1226612 8 who can provide objective oversight. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations

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Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.39)  The registered person should ensure that all staff receive supervision in line with the home’s policy. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that when they carry out a review of the quality of care, the views of professionals, the staff and the children are included. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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: 1226612 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Harmony Residential Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 155 Cross Road, Mawneys, Romford RM7 8EA

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Inspector

Cathy Russell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 1226612 10 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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