Children's Home run by Restoration Care & Services Limited in Barking and Dagenham

Inspection report children’s home: 1269966 1 Registered provider: Restoration Care & Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home. The statement of purpose states that the home provides care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home’s manager was registered in September 2020.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This inspection was conducted on site and involved meetings with children and staff. Written and telephone discussions were held with one parent, placing authority social workers and other professionals, including the host local authority designated officer. A staff questionnaire was also shared for those staff who were not working but wished to contribute their views.

p.1

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 on 17 March 2020.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting to carry out an interim inspection on 14 January 2020. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 14 January 2020 Inspection report children’s home: 1269966 2 Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 1269966 3

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/07/2019 Full Good 07/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1269966 4

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Outcomes for children are positive. Children benefit from the support of a committed and dedicated staff team and make good progress. One child recently successfully moved on to a less-supportive setting after experiencing over 10 placement breakdowns prior to arriving at the home. This represented a very positive move for the child concerned and he has settled well in his new home.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff used the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to build positive relationships with children and promote a ‘family’ atmosphere in the home. The lockdown periods were used to encourage shared activities, such as playing dominoes, and to promote reading by arranging a house reading challenge. Children engaged well and incidents of poor behaviour and going missing from the home reduced.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive feedback from parents and placing social workers confirms the good level of care and support provided to children. A placing social worker spoke of the ‘dedicated levels of care and support’ and a parent of her delight at the progress achieved by her son.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Educational achievement for children is positive. Staff supported children to engage in remote learning during lockdowns by offering structured routines. Routines were supported by clear expectations, such as removing televisions from bedrooms during school hours. All of the children are engaged in a range of vocational courses suited to their individual interests.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children value the opportunity of learning and developing independence skills with staff. A child recalled his delight at learning new recipes with a staff member and excitement at receiving his national insurance card. Direct work with staff helps children to build trusting relationships.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Behaviour management is effective and children said that staff are fair and consistent. Staff worked with a child to identify food as a key behaviour trigger. Staff ensured that the weekly shopping contained ample supply of his favourite foods. This helped to improve behaviour and allowed the child to feel heard and represented.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive time with their families in their home. Staff use the opportunity to guide parents on rebuilding relationships with their children and to maximise the quality of family time. This helps children to feel settled and address any anxieties.

p.4

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

Children said that they value staff’s support and feel safe in their home. Children spoke of staff responding quickly to their requests, such as seeking authorisation for Inspection report children’s home: 1269966 5 overnight stays with friends and family. This helps to build trust and close relationships.

p.4

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

Staff are proactive and advocate for children effectively. On observing a child’s dissatisfaction at delays in planning for his future, staff liaised with the allocated social worker to expedite his chosen move. He is now settled in his new home and progressing well.

p.5

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

Leaders commission extra support services for children. A child attributed the help of his music mentor to improved behaviour, achieving a ‘fresh start’ and separating from previous gang association. This helped the child to reduce previously risky behaviours.

p.5

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

Safeguarding is strong. Leaders liaised with the allocated inspector to raise concerns regarding the safety of a child. This alerted his placing authority to the increased risk of gang association. The authority responded by moving the child to a place of safety.

p.5

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

Missing procedures work well. Staff arrange activities at times of potential vulnerability, such as at the weekend, to offer a safer alternative. Staff understand individualised support plans when children go missing from their home. Staff quickly contact friends and family to locate children and ensure that they are supported on their return.

p.5

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

Multi-agency work is a particular strength of the home. Staff worked with the local youth offending service to identify an associate of children in the home who was causing concern. This enabled staff to take protective action, supported by the local police, and advise children of the risk their associate posed.

p.5

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

Risk assessments and behaviour management plans are clear and well understood by staff and children. Assessments are detailed, regularly reviewed and include the wishes and feelings of children. This helps children to engage well and understand what action staff will take to help them.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management structure at the home has improved. The registered manager now benefits from the support of an experienced deputy manager and two senior members of staff. Leaders work well in tandem and remain focussed on supporting children. Leaders have addressed the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection, leading to improvements in restraint training and management oversight.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well trained and confident. Staff speak with compassion, knowledge, and pride of the progress achieved by children. Staff remain non-judgemental and understand why certain behaviours from children are occurring. This builds close and supportive relationships in the home. Inspection report children’s home: 1269966 6 Staff value the opportunity of supervision and performance appraisal. Staff report that managers are open and eager to develop their professional skill base. At present, the quality of performance appraisal is limited by the lack of feedback from children and other staff members.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is positive. Staff spoken to during the inspection said that they valued the ‘ethos of care’ in the home. Positive morale is evidenced by good staff retention and low use of agency staff. This ensures consistency for children.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Practice relating to admitting children is effective. Leaders carefully risk assess children already living in the home to ensure their suitability. This is evidenced by the positive outcomes achieved by children in the home. However, the home’s risk assessment of the local area lacks an evaluation of potential child sexual exploitation and gang activity locally. This limits the manager’s ability to assess the suitability of new children moving into the home and the ability of staff to effectively safeguard children .

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safe recruitment check practice is variable. Leaders fully assess employment history and background checks for directly employed staff. Less positively, leaders do not quality assure the checks conducted on agency staff by their respective agencies. This has not had a negative impact on the care offered to children, particularly given the low level of agency staff use.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The most recent quality-of-care review sent to Ofsted in March 2021 did not contain an action plan to support the home’s development. This shortfall limits Ofsted’s oversight of the home. Inspection report children’s home: 1269966 7

p.6

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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.7

Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

p.7

Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that quality control checks are conducted on all agency staff used in the setting. 1 December 2021

p.7

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). 1 December 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 1269966 8 When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This is with reference to ensuring that the assessment is up to date and addresses the specific risk posed by child sexual exploitation and gang activity in the local area.

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the management monitoring report clearly identifies any actions required for the next six months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. In particular, ensure the improvement plan contains details and specific timescales with regards to when progress will be reviewed and measured. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.4)

p.8

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 young people in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 60, paragraph 13.5).

p.8

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: 1269966 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Restoration Care & Services Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 53 Levine Gardens, Barking, Essex IG11 0UH

p.9

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christina Addison

p.9

Inspectors

Barnaby Dowell, Social Care Inspector Leanne Grant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1269966 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.

p.9

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10