Children's Home run by Barnardo’s in Enfield

Inspection report for children's home: 2675902 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

The home is registered to provide care for one child with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in May 2022. There has been no registered manager since October 2022. A manager has been appointed and has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 31 January 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2675902 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2675902 3

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improvement to be good

Weaknesses in leadership and management and safeguarding practice are compromising children’s progress and experiences.

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improvement to be good

Children have not settled well in the home. One child recently moved out in an unplanned way due to the staff not being able to keep them safe. Despite staff’s extensive efforts to support the child they did not attend school and their engagement with staff was limited.

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improvement to be good

The child currently being cared for is unsettled. Since living at this home, the child has not made good progress. The child receives home tuition and has extremely low attendance as they choose not to engage. Currently, the child’s educational needs are not being met. Additionally, the child has been involved in increasing incidents in the home and the community, for example, breaking doors and damaging locks, which have led to police call-outs.

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improvement to be good

The consequence and reward system that is used to support positive behaviours is ineffective. The consequences records lack sufficient detail, for example, the staff on shift, the reason for the consequence, and the date and time. This affects the manager’s ability to evaluate situations and consider patterns of negative behaviour. At times, the consequences are not proportionate. For example, a child who had broken plates in the home was given the consequence that they could not earn the privilege to take part in an activity in the community.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not ensure that the assessment of all children admitted to the home fully considers their needs, presenting risks and the skills of the staff team to meet their needs. For example, leaders and managers do not request and receive sufficient information from the placing authority before children move into the home. Therefore, leaders, managers and staff have limited understanding and knowledge of children’s risks and needs. This has resulted in a number of serious incidents that the staff and the manager were not able to manage safely.

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improvement to be good

Feedback from professionals is variable. One social worker said, ‘Not all staff are child-focused and equipped to meet the needs of complex children.’ Another social worker said, ‘Staff have adapted their approach and there is a rotation of staff to help meet the child’s needs.’

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improvement to be good

Children’s complaints are managed swiftly. Leaders and managers listen to children’s views and ensure that they respond appropriately to their concerns. Furthermore, children have the opportunity to share their views at house meetings with other children and staff. Inspection report for children's home: 2675902 4

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improvement to be good

Staff are not able to safely manage and prevent incidents of one child hurting other people or damaging property. New staff have not received training in physical intervention and de-escalation techniques promptly in order to keep children safe. This has resulted staff contacting the police to support them to manage the child’s risky and negative behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not completed relevant training in important areas of practice. For example, online safety, child criminal exploitation and mental health awareness. This reduces the staff’s ability to understand and meet the needs of children.

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improvement to be good

The day-to-day staffing arrangements are not safe. Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that staff rotas always include one member of staff with first-aid training.

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improvement to be good

Protocols relating to incidents of children going missing from home are not always followed when children go missing. Leaders and managers do not ensure that all staff have read and fully understood the protocols. As a result, staff’s responses when children are missing from the home are inconsistent.

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improvement to be good

Physical restraint is rarely used in this home. If restraint is used, the relevant professionals are informed. Children are given the opportunity to debrief following the incident to ensure that they are safe and that they understand the reasons that physical intervention was necessary. However, sometimes the incident record is not sufficiently detailed. For example, the record does not include whether any work was done to de-escalate the situation before physical intervention was required.

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good

Since the last inspection, there have been changes in the management and staffing of the home. It has been a challenge for leaders and managers to recruit and retain staff. Recruitment of permanent staff is one of the areas that the manager is prioritising to improve the quality and consistency of practice and to provide stability for children.

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good

Some staff are positive about working in the home. However, not all staff feel valued and well supported. One member of staff said, ‘The home is not the easiest environment to work in due to the size of the home being small. Staff are looking for solutions to create better outcomes but feel there is a lack of empathy from managers and poor communication at times between us and managers.’

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good

Leaders and managers’ internal monitoring systems are not effective. They have not identified the areas for improvement. For example, leaders and managers did not identify shortfalls in the staff rota, children’s records or staff supervision. This was Inspection report for children's home: 2675902 5 raised as a requirement at the last inspection which has not been met and has been restated.

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good

Staff supervision is not consistent. The frequency of supervision provided to staff is not in line with the home’s statement of purpose, which states that it should take place every four to six weeks. This means that the staff are not consistently being provided with opportunities to reflect and improve their practice.

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good

Children’s records are not up to date. Until recently, staff have had limited access to the online recording system and have been unable to complete wider administration tasks. This means that recent information about the child is not known.

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good

The workforce development plan has not been updated since March 2023. The plan states that it will be reviewed every six months, which has not been done. The training plan also needs to be updated. An up-to-date plan would ensure that leaders and managers have a clear understanding of the staff team’s needs and ensure that the workforce meets the children’s needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2675902 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

undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff have the relevant training to meet the specific needs of the children in their care. 14 January 2024

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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— that staff—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vii)(b)(d)) 14 January 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2675902 7 In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff understand and follow children’s protocols around going missing and that there is at least one member of staff working who has first-aid training.

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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 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the leaders and managers must ensure that effective monitoring systems of staff practice and recording are in place. 14 January 2024

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Requirement Due date

at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 31 (2)(a)) 20 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 14 January 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2675902 8 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 any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure.

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that physical intervention records are sufficiently detailed, with detail of the events leading to the incident that required the action to be taken.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)(vii)(x)) 14 January 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2675902 9 In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff are able to help children to understand and make decisions to develop acceptable behaviour.

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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: 2675902 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Barnardos, Tanners Lane, Barkingside, Ilford IG6 1QG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Danielle Rebbitt

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Inspectors

Melvin Davies, Social Care Inspector Matilda Clode, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2675902 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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