Children's Home run by Barnardo’s in Redbridge

Inspection report for children's home: 2593095 1 Registered provider: Barnardo’s Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a national charity. It provides care for up to three children who have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 7 May 2020. The manager registered on 13 April 2022. She is working towards obtaining a relevant qualification. A new responsible individual took over the role in November 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two young people were living at the home. They have been living at this children’s home for a while and turned 18 in 2022. They contributed fully to the 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 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: 9 February 2022

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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: 2593095 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2593095 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care and their needs are met well. They are safe and well cared for. They have positive experiences and make good progress in many areas of their lives, such as developing relationships and life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience stability in their lives. The young people who currently live at this children’s home see it as their home and want to continue to live there. Leaders and managers are working closely with the placing authority to find care-planning solutions that take into account the young people’s wishes and feelings, as well as meeting the regulatory frameworks for children’s homes and services for adults.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know children well. They use a range of communication tools to understand what children are trying to say. However, staff have not had any formal training in Makaton. This is despite both young people being fluent Makaton users and Makaton being the preferred way of communicating for one of them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place great value on children’s learning and education. Children’s school attendance is excellent and they make educational progress that is in line with their abilities. One young person said that she loved the school. The other young person showed a happy sign when asked about the school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff closely monitor children’s physical and mental health. They make sure that children receive specialist support when they need it. The medication practices in the home are robust and support children’s health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy having tasty food and relaxing with staff at home. They play games together, dance to music and talk about popular TV shows. They enjoy using a trampoline and looking after plants in the garden. However, children’s access to activities in the community is limited. This undermines their social awareness and integration.

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

Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and know how to safeguard them. When new risks are identified, the manager swiftly shares this information with the whole staff team. However, children’s risk assessments and safety plans are not updated in a timely manner. This creates the potential for confusion.

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

The home follows local multi-agency procedures for safeguarding children when they are missing from home. Due to staff vigilance, there have been no incidents of children going missing from the home or when out in the community with staff.

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

Staff understand the impact that a lack of structure or unexpected change may have on some children. They provide children with daily routines and clear boundaries, as Inspection report for children's home: 2593095 4 well as emotional warmth. They use visual planners and tell children what is coming next. Knowing what is going to happen helps children to develop a sense of security and safety.

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

Staff understand that children’s behaviours are a form of communication and the way they express their feelings and emotions. Staff deal calmly and safely with behavioural incidents while continuing to show positive regard for children.

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

Staff are positive role models for children. This helps children to develop positive relationships and caring attitudes. For example, the young people spontaneously shared treats with each other and showed interest in each other’s well-being.

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good

Leaders, managers and staff lack knowledge about the therapeutic models that, according to the statement of purpose (SOP), are used at the home. They were unable to explain how these models are used in practice. Additionally, the SOP erroneously refers to a different children’s home and provides an incorrect email address for the Children’s Commissioner for England.

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good

The home does not have a staff workforce plan. Staff do not have up-to-date training in important aspects of their work, such as safeguarding children, Makaton and food safety. Documentary evidence of qualifications is not available for all staff who reportedly are suitably qualified.

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good

Staff supervision is infrequent. For example, two staff members have had only two supervision meetings in the last 12 months. Although staff reported feeling supported by the management team, the weaknesses in the management of staff increase the risk of staff practice falling below the required standard. This could affect the quality of care provided to children

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good

The quality assurance of some records is weak. The logs of behavioural control measures are incomplete. Two physical interventions and a chemical restraint were not included in the log of physical interventions. Although some relevant information was available in other records, there was no record of staff debriefs following the incidents. One record of a consequence did not provide any detail about the child’s behaviour, which was described as threatening. This consequence has not been signed off by a manager, despite it happening 11 months ago. Weak monitoring undermines professional reflection and learning from incidents.

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good

Leaders and managers prioritise direct work with children. They carefully monitor children’s progress and, when necessary, advocate strongly on children’s behalf to promote their best interests. The weaknesses identified at the inspection have not had a negative impact on children’s experiences and progress. Inspection report for children's home: 2593095 5

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that individual children’s risk assessments and safety plans are updated in a timely manner when a new risk is identified. 25 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff’s understanding of the therapeutic models specified in the home’s statement of purpose and their ability to demonstrate how they use these approaches in their work to fulfil the statement of purpose. 23 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2593095 6 This requirement has been restated from the previous inspection.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that staff have up-to-date training in safeguarding, Makaton and food hygiene; that documentary evidence of staff qualifications is available; that staffing levels are not a barrier for children accessing activities in the community and that the staff team is able to fulfil the home’s statement of purpose. 23 May 2023

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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

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)) 23 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2593095 7 This relates to quality assuring records and using records to monitor effectively and continue to improve the service.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated from the previous inspection.

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to children accessing a wide range of activities in the community. 11 April 2023

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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; 11 April 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2593095 8 the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

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

This relates to recognising physical interventions when they happen and recording them in sufficient detail in the home’s log of physical interventions.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that staff have access to relevant training and receive regular supervision. 9 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2593095 9

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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: 2593095 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Barnardo’s, Barnardo House, Tanners Lane, Barkingside, Ilford, Essex IG6 1QG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Danielle Rebbitt

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Inspector

Seka Graovac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2593095 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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