Children's Home run by Anna House Limited in Havering

Inspection report for children's home: SC058603 1 SC058603 Registered provider: Anna House Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides long-term care and short breaks for up to six children with learning and physical difficulties. Two young adults who are over the age of 18 continue to live at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were four children and two young adults living at the home. The manager registered with Ofsted in May 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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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 for children's home: SC058603 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/01/2020 Full Good 20/12/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/06/2018 Full Good 06/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC058603 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care that meets their needs well. Many of the children do not communicate through speech and staff work hard to interpret and understand their needs and offer person-centred care. This means that children make steady progress and have good day-to-day experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop strong and trusting relationships with staff. They engage well with staff and clearly enjoy spending time with them. Staff are attentive and skilled in communicating with children. A member of staff said, ‘What do I like about my job the most? I’m passionate about working with disabled children, seeing their progress. My heart is with the children, it’s like they are my own.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s learning outcomes are good. While schools and colleges have been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have made good efforts to support children’s continued development. For some children, this has meant a greater focus on developing key life skills, such as preparing snacks and taking care of their personal care needs. For others, speech and communication development has become the key learning focus.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to live healthily. This was the case prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is particularly important as some children live with very complex healthcare needs. Children’s health requirements are understood by staff, who manage their healthcare and treatment plans safely. Staff receive training in relevant healthcare issues, including diabetes and epilepsy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good opportunities to share their views about the home. This helps to shape the home’s continuing development. Staff support children to make choices and influence how they receive the care that they need. For example, children were fully involved in the redecoration of the home, the activities they take part in and their independent management of mobile phones. Children will benefit from daily menus being available in pictorial form as well as the written word. This is to help children understand what meals are being served for the day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home currently provides care and accommodation for two young people who are both over the age of 18. This issue was highlighted as a shortfall at the last inspection. Plans to move these two young people on to adult provision have been slow to progress. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented the young people’s moves. Plans for their transition are under way, as it is not in their best interests to remain living in a home for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have fun and have access to play and sensory equipment. Staff offer children innovative and creative play and make good use of the home’s premises and equipment to provide meaningful activities. This is particularly important when COVID-19 restricts children’s access to the community and specialist resources. Inspection report for children's home: SC058603 4 The home’s premises are safe and secure and meet children’s accommodation needs. Children use adapted equipment such as wet rooms, adjustable beds and mobile hoists. This ensures that they receive safe care that meets their often- complex health needs.

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

Staff work hard to protect children from harm, abuse and bullying. Staff are familiar with child protection procedures and they adhere to safeguarding protocols. Staff training and induction have a strong focus on the safe care of disabled children.

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

Staff are knowledgeable and vigilant about children’s individual vulnerabilities. They provide children with one-to-one, and sometimes two-to-one, supervision. The ratio of staff increases to ensure that the needs of individual children are safely met.

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

Risk assessments identify and highlight risks to children. These are specific to individual children and staff update these regularly. Risk management plans are detailed and effective. They provide staff with guidance about anticipating and managing any risk-taking behaviour. This helps to reduce risks and to keep children safe.

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

In recent months, one child in particular has regularly been going missing from the home. Staff have implemented clear plans to help to manage and reduce this behaviour. These plans are detailed and include the involvement of the child himself and his professional network.

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

Specialist safeguarding professionals such as social workers and police from the local child criminal exploitation team offer staff support and advice to help to keep the child safe. Staff conduct regular key-work sessions with the child that focus on safeguarding and the risks posed while the child is away. The child has an agreement in place that he will tell staff where he intends to be and will maintain phone contact with them when he is away. These strategies are effective, as the frequency of the child going missing from home is reducing.

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

Children generally have good behaviour. Staff promote positive behaviour and are mindful of the impact of children’s disabilities on the way they present. Behaviour management plans are effective. Critical incidents are on the decline and staff very rarely restrain children.

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

Managers deal fairly and sensitively with children’s complaints about staff. One child in particular makes frequent allegations against staff, which are subsequently disproved. In each case, managers conduct thorough investigations and speak with children about their findings. Children feel listened to and continue to approach managers openly about concerns that they may have. Inspection report for children's home: SC058603 5 Staff work effectively with other safeguarding professionals. Staff’s communication with partners is frequent and professionals’ meetings highlight child protection issues as soon as they arise. This helps to protect children from harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management of the home are strong. The registered manager has good experience, qualifications and skills to manage a home for disabled children. The responsible individual has a good presence at the home and supports the efforts of the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have an ambitious vision for the development of the home and high aspirations for children’s achievements. However, the home’s monitoring systems are not robust and do not promote improvements to the home. For example, quality of care reports do not include plans to address the shortfalls identified. Furthermore, these reports are not promptly forwarded to Ofsted, which compromises the regulator’s oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff do not consistently complete monthly progress reports to share with placing authorities. This does not help to demonstrate the difference the home is making to children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers provide good support to the staff team. Many members of staff have been working at the home for several years. A member of staff said, ‘The progress our children make makes staff proud of the effort managers put into training us. These skills go beyond the home, into our communities and our own homes. I am proud being a part of the team.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The induction of new staff is effective, and staff have annual appraisals. However, not all staff receive regular supervision. This does not ensure that the support available to staff meets their practice and development needs to work effectively with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training opportunities are good. Managers ensure that staff training includes guidance to address the particular needs of the children in their care. For example, staff have completed training in sign language and are due shortly to complete training on child criminal exploitation. Staff training supports staff to provide high- quality, safe care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is meeting the aims and objectives set out in its statement of purpose. Most of the shortfalls identified at the home’s last inspection have been resolved. The exception to this is the quality of recording by staff in some records, in particular key-work sessions. The transition of the two adults to adult services is yet to take place and some staff do not receive regular supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff share a very effective working relationship with other professionals. This ensures that all parties are aware and act on concerns and issues for children. Inspection report for children's home: SC058603 6 Feedback from external partners is very positive. A placing authority social worker said, ‘I have enjoyed working with [the home’s] staff members. Both managers and care workers have demonstrated an excellent understanding of the needs of our young person in their care. Their level of advocacy and concern around the welfare of young people has been exceptional.’ Inspection report for children's home: SC058603 7

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that the registered person monitors and improves the quality of records. These relate to key-work sessions and monthly summaries, which do not detail work conducted with children or highlight the progress children are making. 1 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 1 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; 1 April 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC058603 8 if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5(a)(b)(c)(d)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that the registered person works in effective partnership with the placing authority to facilitate the appropriate transition of the two young adults currently living in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)) 1 January 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC058603 9

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they consider involving children in choosing their meals. Daily menus should be displayed in pictorial form as well as in the written word. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.8)

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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 for children's home: SC058603 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 207 Chase Cross Road, Collier Row, Romford RM5 3YJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Margaret Akullo-Odiya

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Inspector

Sandra Jacobs-Walls, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC058603 11 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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