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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC409851 1 SC409851

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Registered provider: Westgate Lifestyle Project Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care for up to four children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for children who present with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 June 2023

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: SC409851 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/05/2022 Full Good 20/10/2021 Full Good 21/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/06/2019 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

Children say that they feel safe living at their home. When children first arrive at the home, they say that staff are welcoming and friendly, and put them at ease. One child said that their home feels like ‘a place to breathe’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The trusted and positive relationships between staff and children are a strength of this home. Children feel listened to and respected and say that they are able to raise any issues they have. There are regular house meetings where children share their views. One child said that staff listen and ‘don’t talk down to me’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a strong ethos of working ‘with’ the children, rather than ‘doing ‘to’, which results in the children feeling valued and increases their sense of security and well- being. The staff team works hard to promote each child’s individual identity, inclusive of cultural and diversity needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff’s individualised care and understanding of children’s progress is good. Staff are committed to the children and celebrate the children’s achievements. After a period of not being in school before living at this home, one child is taking their GCSEs. The child has spoken of the pride that they have in this, and the child is looking forward to a day trip with staff to celebrate. For children not attending formal education, alternative arrangements, such as home tutoring, are in place .

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to personalise their bedrooms and learn the necessary skills to care for themselves. Children are supported and encouraged to make healthy and safer choices, promoting children’s identity and independence. One child has said that they are now able to recognise the importance of looking after their health needs. As a result, their health has now stabilised.

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

Children say that they feel safe living at this home. Children’s personalised plans support staff to understand triggers for certain behaviours and give them strategies to manage situations and prevent escalation.

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

Incidents are managed well. Restorative conversations are held with children addressing incidents of concern. These are non-judgemental, open conversations that enable the child and staff member to work through incidents and identify strategies to prevent such incidents occurring in the future.

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

Staff understand risks well and identify patterns and escalation in risks to children; this is reflected in children’s risk assessments.

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

Staff complete safeguarding training during their induction and undertake ongoing training that includes risk management and safer caring, internet safety, Inspection report for children’s home: SC409851 4 safeguarding refresher training and de-escalation techniques. Specific training relating to one child’s health needs has also been undertaken by staff. As a result, staff safely support and monitor the prescribed medication taken by the child. The training undertaken by staff has helped to create a knowledgeable and skilled staff team and increases children’s safety.

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

When children go missing from home, staff are proactive at staying connected with them. Staff follow the agreed missing-from-home protocol. Staff are keen to understand from the children the reasons behind their absences through focused discussion. This has resulted in fewer missing-from-home episodes.

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

Parents and involved professionals say that the home’s safeguarding responses are a key strength, which further increases children’s safety and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced registered manager manages the home. One professional commented that the manager ‘goes above and beyond’ for the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home environment is of a good standard. However, two of the vacant children’s bedrooms were not ready for a child to move into. One of the bedrooms was partially redecorated, with decorating detritus and other objects stored in it. The downstairs bedroom is currently used as office space. This is not consistent with the home’s registration conditions and statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although partnership working with placing authorities is good, the manager has not always been successful in obtaining up-to-date local authority care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported. Managers ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities to enable them to provide a good standard of care and support to children. Team meetings and supervision provide staff with opportunities to discuss children’s progress, reflect on their practice and help to identify training needs. The management’s open door policy makes staff feel that managers are responsive, and they feel valued. Staff have appropriate experience and qualifications related to their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers assess the quality of care provided to children effectively and this helps them to identify where improvement is required. Leaders and managers review the quality of care they provide. The quality-of-care reports produced are comprehensive; however, more evaluation would improve these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The use of CCTV monitoring in the home is disproportionate and is not regularly reviewed to assess whether it is necessary. The use of surveillance in the home undermines children’s privacy. This was raised with leaders during the inspection and resulted in leaders ceasing the use of CCTV in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The members of the management team know the children well and are committed to improving children’s lives, experiences, and progress. Leaders share an ambitious Inspection report for children’s home: SC409851 5 vision for the home and show enthusiasm and commitment to giving children safe care, with leaders stating that it is important for all to remember that for the children ‘it’s their home first’. 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, The 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 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all children’s bedrooms, including those that are vacant, are suitably furnished and maintained to meet the children’s needs. 31 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(c)(d)) 14 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC409851 7 This relates to ensuring that the use of monitoring or surveillance equipment in the home is continuously assessed and only used when necessary to safeguard children.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that each quality-of-care review is focused upon the specific and relevant circumstances of the home at that time. A more evaluative approach rather than descriptive would further support in showcasing the areas of strength and identifying possible challenges and actions to be taken for the home in the following six months. There is no expectation that the registered person will review the home against every part of the quality standards every six months – registered persons should use their professional judgement to decide which factors to focus on. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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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: SC409851 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Westgate Lifestyle Project Limited

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Inspector

Amanda Burrows, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC409851 9 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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