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Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 1 SC036917 Registered provider: Royal Borough of Greenwich Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides care for up to five children aged between 11 and 18 years who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably qualified and has been registered with Ofsted since 31 March 2007.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager was not present for this inspection. The inspection was facilitated by the responsible individual, deputy manager and temporary manager.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 19 October 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/10/2021 Full Outstanding 27/02/2020 Full Outstanding 26/02/2019 Full Outstanding 10/10/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide nurturing emotional support for children who have experienced trauma. Children are supported to improve their routines, so that become more independent, resilient and confident. Children are generally happy and their social workers express satisfaction with the quality of care they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to achieve their goals. Staff also support children with accessing the appropriate health services, which includes mental health, substance misuse and sexual health services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s achievements include completing their GCSEs, returning to college after a period of non-attendance and actively seeking work. Staff celebrate children’s milestones, such as birthdays and moving into semi-independence. Older children benefit from receiving a weekly budget to buy their shopping and prepare their own meals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide excellent support for young people and children who have moved on from the home. One young person who has moved on from the home asked a staff member to support her with the birth of her own child. This is a testament to the strength and quality of relationships that staff build with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have an active voice at the home. They help with planning daily meals and social activities. Children have made complaints and raised concerns through house meetings. Children feel confident to share their concerns with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been significant delays in essential repairs to the home. Children told the inspector that their home was sometimes cold and uncomfortable, and that repairs were ‘on hold’ for a long time. Managers have escalated all concerns, but this has not been effective in reducing delays. This means that children do not live in a homely physical environment.

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

Children spoken to during the inspection confirm that they now feel safe at the home. However, one child reported that they have in the recent past felt unsafe due to bullying by another child. Leaders and managers address concerns of bullying and identify when they are unable to keep a child safe. They work with the child’s placing authority to ensure a smooth transition and offer outreach and support to the children who have left the home.

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

Staff identify, understand, and manage risks to children effectively. Staff encourage children to reflect on their challenges through problem-solving and solution-focused conversations. Staff clearly define their expectations regarding children’s behaviour. Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 4 This enables children to take responsibility for their actions and own personal growth.

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

Staff have a very good understanding of children’s trauma and their emotional needs. Staff go to great lengths to support children and help them to make safer choices. However, behaviour support plans do not set out what actions staff should take for specific risks such as children going missing from care or substance misuse. This has led to an inconsistent response by one staff member when managing a child who was under the influence of substances. And although, on this occasion, the child remained safe, this has the potential to impact on the consistent safeguarding of children.

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

There have been no allegations against staff since the last inspection. Staff receive appropriate safeguarding training. However, some members of staff do not demonstrate a good knowledge of the home’s whistle-blowing policies. Additionally, one staff member did not demonstrate a good understanding of what action they should take if a child made an allegation against a manager. This compromises safeguarding practice.

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

Staff manage children’s behaviour well. However, not all incident records are accurate or reflect all actions that staff take to keep children safe. Managers do not consistently keep good records of staff debriefs. This compromises leaders’ and managers’ oversight of the quality of records and is a missed opportunity to make and demonstrate continuous improvements.

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

Restraint of children is rare. However, leaders and managers do not have effective recording systems to record and evaluate the use of restraint. Leaders and managers put plans in place to address this shortfall during this inspection.

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good

Managers and staff demonstrate commitment and resilience. It has been a challenging year caring for children, often in emergency situations. Managers have focused their attention on keeping children safe. Managers have also had to focus much of their time and attention on keeping the home environment safe while awaiting repairs. As a result, some leadership functions have been compromised and require improvement to be consistently good.

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good

Leaders and managers do not demonstrate good oversight of children’s records. This has resulted in inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and omissions in children’s records. This does not accurately reflect children’s experiences in the home.

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good

Leaders and managers have escalated their concerns about delays to the repairs to the property, and the delays in addressing the fire risk assessors’ recommendations. However, strategic partnerships for this home are not yet effective, and this has impacted negatively on children’s day-to-day experiences. Consequently, children have waited too long to have their home environment made comfortable and in Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 5 good repair. Arrangements to address the fire risk assessor’s recommendations were made by senior leaders during the inspection.

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good

Managers take effective action to protect children. However, the registered person does not ensure that notifications of all significant events relating to the welfare and protection of children are made to the regulator. This is a breach of regulations.

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good

Reports completed by the independent person do not consistently provide a view about the safety and well-being of children in the home. This does not meet regulations.

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good

Leaders and managers work very well with safeguarding professionals. One police officer said, ‘Staff absolutely understand child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation, risks for missing children and extrafamilial risk. This care home is one that I will always remember as being very good.’ However, managers do not routinely challenge the local authority to ensure that independent return home interviews take place for all children. This issue was also raised as a recommendation at the last inspection.

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good

Staff say that they feel valued and that they take pride in making a positive difference to children’s lives. Staff praise the supportive team and their supportive managers. Staff benefit from therapeutic support, a wide range of training, regular individual supervision sessions, check-in sessions and team meetings. Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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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)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this specifically relates to ensuring that:

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Requirement Due date

all leaders and managers follow the home’s child protection policies in managing allegations;

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Requirement Due date

all staff know what action to take in relation to whistle- blowing procedures; and

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Requirement Due date

to ensuring that behaviour support plans are up to date and set out all steps staff should take to manage all known risks. 15 October 2022

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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

promotes their welfare. 15 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this specifically relates to ensuring that:

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Requirement Due date

leaders and managers demonstrate that they monitor and review behaviour support plans and monitor that staff are consistently following plans set out to safeguard children; and

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Requirement Due date

that leaders and managers undertake staff debriefs following serious behaviour incidents for the purposes of service improvement.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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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 requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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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’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must 15 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 8 consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii) (e)) 15 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used; 15 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 9 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii) (c)(iv))

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to the registered person ensuring that:

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Requirement Due date

all the recommendations from the fire risk assessor are completed and the building has the appropriate fire safety measures such as fire doors and/or any other measure as required by the assessor, without delay;

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Requirement Due date

all repairs to the building are completed in good time, so as to minimise the impact on children living in the home;

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Requirement Due date

all damage to the premises is repaired without delay; and 15 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 10 that children’s bedrooms are well maintained, such as ensuring that window coverings and walls are clean, tidy and in good repair.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff consistently challenge the placing authority to conduct return home interviews. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8).

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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: SC036917 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Royal Borough of Greenwich

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Royal Borough Of Greenwich, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, Greenwich SE18 6HQ

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Inspector

Jayshree Pillay, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 12 regulates and inspects 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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