Children's Home run by Ravensbourne Project in Lewisham

Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 1 Registered provider: Ravensbourne Project Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a short breaks residential home and day service which provides care for children with learning or physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments. The home can provide overnight short breaks for up to five children aged between 8 and 18, provided that two of the five children are siblings of the same gender. The home operates at weekends, during term-time and in all holiday periods.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 7 children attending the service on day care and one child on overnight stay during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in July 2017. The registered manager is on leave due to long-term sickness, and therefore the acting home manager has submitted her application for registration.

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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: 28 February 2023

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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: 1257289 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2023 Full Good 21/07/2021 Full Good 01/08/2019 Full Good 20/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who attend this short break service receive good-quality care and enjoy positive experiences. The facilities include a sensory room, playroom, spacious garden and soft play area for the children to enjoy. Children are supported to access and engage in a wide range of activities that include arts and crafts, foam play, musical toys and paddling pools. Children are also supported to enjoy activities in the community, including visits to the farm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Many children are non-verbal, and staff use symbols, gestures and simple language to communicate with children. Children’s wishes and feelings are gained through observations and one-to-one interactions. Children are given choices. For example, staff present children with different options for breakfast and activities, which children chose by pointing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their individual starting points. Staff support children with their individual learning outcomes to help them develop important life skills, such as managing their personal care. Parents say that their children’s speech and language and social skills have also improved since coming to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s diagnosis and health needs are well understood and met by managers and staff. Staff administer and manage children’s medication safely, with management oversight. Managers liaise closely with children’s health teams to ensure that the right medication is provided and available for children during their visits and overnight stays.

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

Prior to children attending the short break service, management work closely with family members, children’s schools and social workers to assess children’s needs and risks. The managers and key workers develop detailed support plans for children that address their behaviours and needs. These plans enable staff to help and protect children and ensure that they have good experiences during their visits.

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

Careful planning takes place before children come for overnight stays. For example, one child had planned sessions late into the evening, which helped prepare them for their first overnight stay with minimal disruption. The responsible individual does waking-night shifts to support children who struggle during overnight stays. These arrangements ensure that children settle more easily and feel comfortable during their stay.

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

Staff understand children’s needs and respond appropriately. Staff do not use restraint as a method of managing children’s behaviours but give them space and verbal reassurances to calm them down. Managers and staff reflect on any incidents Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 4 relating to children. This helps them understand the reasons behind the behaviour and respond appropriately in future incidents.

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

Key workers support children to achieve key outcomes such as ‘communicating feelings,’ ‘making the bed’ or ‘making choices.’ This gives children autonomy as well as opportunities to develop important life skills. Staff support children to achieve these outcomes during their visits and track their progress.

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

The home environment is physically safe and comfortable with large spaces for children to enjoy various activities. Children’s bedrooms are clean and ready for children when they arrive. Children’s photographs and artwork are displayed around the home. However, a display board outside of the first-floor office is frayed and needs to be replaced.

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

Staff understand whistleblowing policies and procedures. However, some staff were unable to fully explain the processes and demonstrated a limited understanding.

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

Safer recruitment practice is not robust. Leaders and managers do not explore gaps in staff’s employment history and official proof of address is not requested.

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good

Leaders and managers know the children well and have a good understanding of their needs and behaviours. The responsible individual is present in the home and has positive relationships with the children. The members of the staff team work on a one-to-one basis with the children. This ensures effective supervision of the children and enables safe care to protect them from harm. As a result, children have enjoyable experiences during their stay and achieve positive outcomes.

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good

Leaders, managers and staff work well with children’s families and the professional network, including social workers, care coordinators and education. This helps them create individual support plans for the children that identify their needs. Consequently, children receive holistic care and support from the staff during their stay.

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good

Parents feel confident in the care that their children receive from staff and managers in the home. One parent said, ‘They’re just amazing. I’m not looking forward to it when her time at the service ends.’ The management and staff communicate closely with parents and keep them informed throughout children’s short break in the home.

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good

Leaders and managers source training from external services, including health teams. This ensures that children receive good-quality care during their time at the service. Team meetings are regular and well attended. Staff discuss children’s plans and activities to support children’s stay. Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 5 Staff receive regular supervision. However, supervision focuses on paperwork and is task orientated, and it does not always focus on child-related practice. Furthermore, the current manager of the home has not received regular or effective supervision.

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good

Staff’s performance and practice are not appraised in a timely manner. Despite these shortfalls, staff say that they feel supported and can seek support from leaders and managers.

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good

The quality of records needs to be reviewed and strengthened. Incident records lack detail and do not provide a clear picture of the actions taken by staff when an incident occurs.

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good

The statement of purpose and the workforce development plan have not been updated. These documents do not reflect current staffing structures. Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 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 registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that all staff receive regular and effective supervision and that their appraisals are completed annually. 1 September 2023

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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

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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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.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(d) (7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that safe recruitment processes include scrutiny of gaps in employment and that official proof of address is obtained. 25 August 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 7  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the home’s internal whistleblowing procedures. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.9)  The registered person should ensure the workforce development plan details the necessary management and staffing structure. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that the Statement of Purpose includes details of staffing structure. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.10)

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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: 1257289 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ravensbourne Project

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Inspector

Amena Begum, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 9 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 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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