Children's Home run by Westgate Lifestyle Project Limited in Hounslow

Inspection report for children’s home: SC409851 1 SC409851 Registered provider: Westgate Lifestyle Project Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home which provides care for up to four children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for children who present with EBD (social and emotional difficulties).

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in 2010. The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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 October 2021

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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: SC409851 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/10/2021 Full Good 21/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC409851 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Building relationships based on trust is important for staff and managers in providing children with a strong foundation. This helps children to make progress from their starting points. Managers and staff know the child currently living at the home well and speak warmly about the child. The parent of the child said: ‘No matter what happens, their care and commitment to [child] has been outstanding, unconditional care.’ This has contributed to this child’s experience of permanence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to express their views on day-to-day matters as they arise, as well as using key-work sessions or house meetings for raising issues. Leaders and managers are strong advocates for children and engage other professionals actively to address shortfalls, for instance in providing education and well-being services to meet children’s needs. The child currently living at the home has access to an independent advocate to ensure that their views are heard in relation to significant decisions made regarding the child’s potential deprivation of liberty.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers encourage children to value, participate and enjoy education in any format deemed suitable for their development needs. For the child currently living at the home, who does not attend school, this has helped the child to understand the effect of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on their learning. A therapeutic education practitioner has been employed and has helped the child progress from not knowing how to hold a pen and avoiding eye contact, to being a more socially abled child, who is in preparation to take functional skills exams in mathematics and English.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to participate in a range of activities in the home and in the community. These include computer games, board games, go-karting, long walks and activities related to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. This is helpful in promoting children’s well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers are proactive in ensuring that relevant professionals are fully aware of the risks for the child living in the home and are working together to agree a plan to keep the child safe. However, leaders and managers do not always ensure that open and effective communication is developed and maintained between the home and placing authorities, so that plans for children are carried out efficiently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Comprehensive healthcare plans and assessments are completed when children come to live at the home. There are appropriate arrangements in place for the safe storage of medicines. However, the method for recording the administration of medicines is potentially ineffective and unsafe. Furthermore, those overseeing the management of medicines are not suitably qualified and skilled to undertake the task. Inspection report for children’s home: SC409851 4 There is a robust process for considering the needs of new children moving into the home. Paramount consideration is given to the impact any new child moving in will have on children already living there. A decision was made to give notice on one child’s placement and leaders, managers and staff worked with the placing authority in identifying the best care option for the child. This demonstrates that the child’s welfare and well-being remained paramount.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff support children to maintain links with their families. The parent of the child currently living in the home reported that they have been able to re- establish a much better relationship with their child. The parent’s positive comments about managers and staff show that great efforts have been made to establish, maintain and promote meaningful links for this child.

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

The child currently living in the home was previously subject to a deprivation of liberty order. Staff and managers have developed a clear understanding of the child’s strengths and vulnerabilities and have used this knowledge to develop a safety plan in consultation with the child.

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

Risk assessments for the child are detailed and offer clarity for staff in responding to risks identified. The child has not had a missing-from-home incident for some time. When children have gone missing from home previously, records show that staff and managers have responded appropriately to safeguard children, which has involved going out to find them.

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

Key-working sessions are used to address issues of racism and bullying with the child. This demonstrates that children are helped to develop respect for others and to use appropriate and positive communication.

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

The child has a comprehensive autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and behaviour support plan. The plan helps staff to respond appropriately to the child in order to de-escalate situations. There have been no incidents of restraint despite restraint previously being a regular feature for the child.

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

There are restrictions on the child’s access to social media and gaming sites due to this being an identified risk for the child. Staff and managers are vigilant in monitoring this activity and regularly remind the child why these restrictions are in place. This demonstrates that the child is protected from harmful interaction through the internet and is helped to understand why limitations are in place.

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

The registered manager responds appropriately to any concerns of a child protection nature. Appropriate action was taken in response to one child sharing concerning historical information relating to an adult in a care role. This demonstrates that children feel safe to speak to trusted adults and are listened to. Furthermore, it demonstrates that managers address safeguarding concerns to protect children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC409851 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is an experienced and knowledgeable individual. The home is suitably staffed to meet the needs of the child currently living there. However, the workforce development plan does not demonstrate that staff are suitably qualified, experienced and supported to meet the assessed needs of all children as stated in the statement of purpose. Furthermore, the workforce development plan does not demonstrate that the staffing structure accurately reflects the roles and responsibilities of staff employed in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring and review systems need to be strengthened. Leaders and managers routinely reflect with staff on lessons learned from significant events to identify different ways of working or changes required to policies and procedures. However, leaders and managers do not review and evaluate the quality of care provided to children effectively to use the information to improve or maintain the quality of care provided. In addition, the review of quality of care reports are not sent to Ofsted in line with regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Case records are comprehensive and include all essential documentation. Detailed and comprehensive care plans are developed for children, which show individual goals such as developing their independence skills, with clear objectives on how goals will be met. Furthermore, leaders and managers are strong advocates for children and build positive and challenging relationships with local authorities to ensure that the best outcomes are achieved for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has used recent incidents at the home to develop positive relationships with a neighbour. The neighbour appreciated the registered manager’s acknowledgement of the effect of the incident on them and was empathetic to the manager’s and staff’s situation. There is a plan to invite neighbours to a barbecue in the summer, which will promote a sense of community and belonging for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The child living in the home has made significant progress in their overall presentation, education and behaviour. An independent living workbook is in place that will support the pathway plan for the child living at the home. However, the registered manager acknowledges that an effective and systematic method is needed to monitor and reflect the positive effect that living at the home has on children’s progress and life chances.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and staff report that these sessions help them to consider their specific roles and responsibilities. When necessary, staff are offered additional one-to-one support. However, staff do not have access to clinical support to help them to manage the emotional impact of their work. Inspection report for children’s home: SC409851 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

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 1 August 2022

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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

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Requirement Due date

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; and 1 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC409851 7 make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

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 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)(d)) 1 August 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan in place that identifies the skills and experiences needed for staff to undertake the roles asked of them, and a clear strategy in place to recruit appropriate staff where shortfalls are evident. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that those with responsibility for overseeing the management and administration of medicines are appropriately trained, qualified or experienced to undertake this role. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should provide all staff with the opportunity to access clinical supervision which allows them to reflect on the impact of caring for children who have experienced trauma. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC409851 8 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: SC409851 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Westgate Lifestyle Project Limited

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Inspector

Colin Bent, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC409851 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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