Children's Home run by Centre 404 in Tower Hamlets

Inspection report for children’s home: 2644282 1 Registered provider: Centre 404 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a registered charity. It provides short breaks for up to five children.

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Information about this children’s home

The provider states in its statement of purpose that the home provides care for children with autism spectrum disorder and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and/or learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 10 June 2021. The registered manager post is vacant.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 22 February 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2644282 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2644282 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy their overnight stays at the home. Staff plan children’s stays so that they can meet up with children they have developed friendships with. Managers have ensured that the toys and technology children like are available at the home. Improved access to transport means that children enjoy a range of community activities such as bowling, visiting the cinema and the beach. For some children, this is the first time they have experienced these activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Many of the staff team have worked at the home for several years. Staff know the children well and understand their needs. As a result, children are provided with consistency and the assurance of being cared for by adults they are familiar with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s introductions to the home are carefully planned. This includes meeting children at home and school to gather important information. Staff obtain up-to-date medical records and medication reviews from health professionals to ensure that they can meet children’s individual health needs. Children’s diverse religious, cultural and dietary needs are identified and well met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff involve parents in care planning for their child and the regular reviews led by staff at the home. This includes identifying goals that promote children to be as independent as they can be. However, although children’s views are captured by staff during their stays, children’s involvement in care planning and their own reviews is limited.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have formed effective relationships with the children’s schools. Feedback from education professionals is positive about communication and staff’s contributions to reviews.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff talk about children warmly. They recognise children’s progress and achievements, such as children brushing their teeth, trying new foods and using the talking microwave to prepare snacks more independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers have made links with a local charity which is undertaking the improvements needed to the outside space. The home is furnished to an adequate standard. However, the decoration in communal areas and the children’s bedrooms is tired and the paintwork is scuffed and appears dirty in places.

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improvement to be good

There have been no serious incidents or restraints since the last inspection. Staff respond to children’s behaviour well and in line with the strategies outlined in children’s plans. Inspection report for children’s home: 2644282 4 Staffing ratios are clearly recorded. Managers ensure that children receive the assessed levels of supervision. However, this has meant regular use of agency staff. These staff are not offered supervision. Most staff have a relevant qualification and experience of working with children. Staff access training to meet the specific needs of the children they are caring for. This includes safeguarding disabled children and training in epilepsy and autistic spectrum disorder. Each child has an individual risk assessment that outlines the presenting risks. However, one child’s plan does not contain accurate information in relation to the risk of the child running off from adults. This reduces the quality of the assessment

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improvement to be good

and the consequent actions identified to manage the risk. Staff complete risk assessments before they take children on activities. Although these contain a list of standard risk-reduction measures, they do not consider specific actions that may be required to keep children safe. Safeguarding processes are in place. However, some information, that may have indicated safeguarding concerns, has not been followed up fully. This includes confirming social care involvement with one child, and clarifying how scratches indicated on a body map for another child were sustained. All actions taken are not always recorded. This includes when managers followed up issues raised about a member of staff’s practice.

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improvement to be good

Managers are actively recruiting new staff. Not all staff have been recruited in line with the home’s safe recruitment policy. This includes ensuring that agency staff are subject to the same recruitment checks as permanent staff and ensuring that application forms contain enough information to allow exploration of gaps in employment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager’s post has been vacant since 12 April 2022. A manager has been appointed with a confirmed start date. Senior managers are effectively overseeing the day-to-day running of the home. The requirements and recommendations raised at all previous inspections have been met. Leaders and managers ensure that the required improvements continue at pace. Staff morale is good. Staff feel happy and secure in their roles. They are excited about the developments at the home. This energy contributes to the positive culture within the staff team. Managers set clear expectations for good practice. They understand where improvement is still needed. This includes addressing the variable quality of staff recording. Managers have developed ways for parents to be involved in planning for children and the development of service. The last consultation session included a massage Inspection report for children’s home: 2644282 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

morning at the home. Most parents report better communication with the introduction of communication books. Despite gathering feedback, the review of the quality of care does not include feedback from parents, children or professionals. This reduces the effectiveness of the review and subsequent development plan. Managers have good knowledge of local resources that help to meet the needs of disabled children and can offer them various opportunities. This includes bespoke sports days and arts and crafts activities that are planned for the summer holidays. Managers have improved partnership working with the local authority commissioning team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2644282 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, children’s risk assessments should be informed by up-to-date, accurate information; and activity risk assessments should clearly outline the actions staff should take to reduce risks to children. 29 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, body maps and accompanying documents should contain relevant information to trigger further safeguarding action if needed; the status of social care involvement with children should be clear on children’s files; 18 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2644282 7 and exploration of reported poor practice should be clearly recorded.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that gaps in employment history are explored and accounted for; and ensure that agency staff are subject to all recruitment checks required by schedule 2. 29 July 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 feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(b) 1 November 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the skills and confidence to communicate easily and understand the importance of listening to, involving and responding to the children they care for. This specifically relates to children’s views being used to inform the review of quality of care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.10)  The registered person should ensure that the tired paintwork is addressed and they implement plans to improve the garden area of the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that systems are in place so that all staff receive supervision of their practice. In particular, the provider should implement a clear policy in relation to the supervision of agency staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61,

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Recommendations

paragraph 13.2) Inspection report for children’s home: 2644282 8  The registered provider should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2644282 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Centre 404, 404 Camden Road, London N7 0SJ

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Inspector

Paula Edwards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2644282 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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