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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 who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in April 2003. The registered manager’s post has been vacant since April 2023. The home has employed a new manager who has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living at the home at the time of 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 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: 7 September 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: SC036917 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/09/2022 Full Good 19/10/2021 Full Outstanding 27/02/2020 Full Outstanding 26/02/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have trusting relationships with staff who care for them. Staff go above and beyond to provide each child with individualised care and attention. They take into account children’s background, interests and goals. This is helping children to settle in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children are currently not participating in education. Staff persist in their efforts to identify activities that will assist children to return to formal education. Staff work well with education providers to continue supporting children with their education and their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to share their views and wishes. Children’s meetings take place regularly and staff respond to children’s wishes accordingly. This means that all children have an equal voice, which helps them to feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build positive relationships with each other. Children also have a strong connection with the local community. Staff work closely with Greenwich foster carers, who include children in the home in the local activities and provide temporary care for children in times of crisis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, which makes them feel more comfortable, relaxed and secure in their home. However, some children’s bedrooms are not always kept clean and tidy. This is undermining the homely environment that the staff work hard to achieve.

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

Children say that they feel safe and happy in this home. All professionals and family members reported that they were extremely pleased with the team’s communication and care.

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

The frequency of some children’s going missing-from-home episodes has reduced in relation to the children’s individual starting points. Return home interviews take place to ensure that staff understand any underlying reasons why children might go missing.

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

Staff are good role models who encourage positive behaviours from children. There is a learning culture in the home which supports staff to develop their understanding of children’s behaviours and adapt their responses to meet their needs. With the support of a multidisciplinary team, staff develop and implement effective de- escalation techniques. As a result, there have been no incidents of physical intervention. Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 4 There are coordinated plans and risk assessments in place for children. These are informed by a targeted multi-agency approach which identifies children’s individual needs and reviews plans to mitigate risks. However, these documents are not always signed and do not demonstrate the manager’s oversight of the actions staff must take to keep children safer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The newly appointed manager has high aspirations for the children and the home. An experienced responsible individual supports the manager. Both know the children and the home well and have been able to demonstrate the progress children have made. The manager has cultivated positive working relationships with his staff team and other professionals. The feedback from professionals and parents has been positive in terms of his impact at the home. Feedback includes improvements in communication and the coordination of children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well managed and supported. They benefit from regular team meetings, annual appraisals and practice-related supervision. This enables staff to reflect on their practice and review the needs and progress of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff are highly committed and skilled in their role. Leaders and managers motivate staff by encouraging career progression, delegating key tasks and encouraging them to pursue their own learning and interests. An example of how this has impacted the home is that two staff are now a ‘compassion focused trainers’, which benefits children to receive compassionate care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Advocacy for children is good. When children do not have access to the support that they require, leaders have ensured that the staff advocate on behalf of the children well. Children’s outcomes improve because of the advocacy support that they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has met the requirements from the last inspection. The home meets the aims and objectives set out in its statement of purpose and staff deliver a good- quality service for the children. Health and safety matters are addressed effectively. This ensures that the premises are safe and suitable for children, visitors and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s case records are difficult to access. They are stored in various different formats that makes it difficult for managers to evaluate records and identify areas for improvement in practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 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, 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 the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner—

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Requirement Due date

children’s case records (see regulation 36);

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Requirement Due date

other records (see regulation 37). (Regulation 38 (i)(j))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is an accurate and consistent approach to record-keeping. 31 March 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home offers a nurturing environment and that all children’s bedrooms are kept clean and tidy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC036917 6

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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: The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London SE18 6HQ

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Inspector

Maud Pipim-Addo, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC036917 7 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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Inspector

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