Children's home run by Barnardo’s in Redbridge

Inspection report for children’s home: SC025940 1 SC025940 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 is registered to provide care for up to four children with learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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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: 31 October 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: SC025940 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2022 Full Good 18/01/2022 Full Good 19/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/05/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC025940 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The overall quality of care planning for the child is good. Since the last inspection, the child has continued to make progress in their independent living skills and academic achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been helped to develop their confidence. As a result, the child has reduced their anxiety about accessing healthcare appointments. The child’s parent told the inspector that the child has made a lot of improvement with their independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported by experienced and responsive staff. Staff speak passionately about the child’s individual achievements. The child has a comprehensive and detailed support plan that is child centred and written in language that cares.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been helped to develop and sustain positive and trusting relationships with staff. This has been achieved through staff providing consistent routines and boundaries and having a relentless focus on helping the child to achieve their potential.

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

Staff are thoughtful and sensitive to the child’s triggers. Staff work together and with managers to identify emerging patterns of behaviour. This provides an opportunity for staff to consider how to help the child to reduce their escalating behaviours that are harmful to themselves and others.

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

Staff use a range of de-escalation techniques and creative alternative strategies to support the child. Key-work sessions have been used to help the child understand the consequences of harmful behaviours. This has helped to increase the child’s sense of personal responsibility and helped the child to reflect on the impact of their behaviour on others.

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

Despite the best efforts of managers to try and resolve the long-standing issue of a broken fence panel in the garden, the organisational response has not been timely enough. This has enabled the child to leave the home on two separate occasions. To mitigate the risk, the child’s risk assessment has been updated, setting out actions to minimise opportunities for the child to abscond.

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

The home is maintained and meets children’s needs. However, the peeling artwork on the walls detracts from the homely and welcoming presentation of the home.

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

The child has a comprehensive and detailed risk assessment that is updated to reflect emerging risks and needs. Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the child’s risks and progress that they are making. Based on their ongoing review Inspection report for children’s home: SC025940 4 of this, they make child-centred decisions and are supporting the child and placing authority to move on to a more suitable home.

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good

Leaders and managers know the service well. They understand the strengths and areas for development. They have responded to most of the shortfalls identified at the last inspection. However, leaders have not taken effective action to address all requirements from previous inspections, in relation to staff supervision and appraisal. Further improvement is required in relation to these shortfalls.

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good

Leaders and managers understand the child’s needs well and have advocated strongly to ensure that specialist services are considered to meet their needs. Leaders and managers work proactively and collaboratively with other agencies to promote the child’s needs. They share information in meetings and reviews about the child’s progress and development, which informs decisions about their care. A local authority team leader informed the inspector that they have a good working relationship with managers and said that communication is excellent.

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good

Leaders and managers recognise the emotional impact of the work on staff’s well- being. Staff are actively encouraged to access the organisation’s counselling and well-being services. Additional support was also provided to staff by one of the organisation’s therapists. Staff told the inspector that they valued the session. As part of the service development plan, funding has been secured to appoint a clinical psychologist to provide ongoing support.

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good

Although most staff have debriefs with managers following incidents, these are not recorded.

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good

Team meetings provide a reflective space for staff to discuss the impact of their work. However, the frequency is not sufficient to provide a consistent, safe and supportive space for staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025940 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 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 requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 12 October 2023

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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, the registered person must ensure that the broken fence is repaired. 30 September

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they provide a homely, domestic environment. This specifically relates to ensuring that peeled artwork is removed and walls are repainted. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: SC025940 6

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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: SC025940 7

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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

Nicki Shaw, His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC025940 8 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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