Children's home run by London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in Hammersmith and Fulham

Inspection report children's home: SC443337 1 SC443337 Registered provider: London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

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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 full-time care or short breaks for up to seven children with physical and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

The home registered with Ofsted in February 2012 and the manager registered with Ofsted in January 2024.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, four children were 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 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: 25 September 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: n/a Inspection report children's home: SC443337 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/09/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/01/2024 Full Good 07/02/2023 Full Good 08/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC443337 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they enjoy and are happy living at the home. Staff demonstrate warmth, patience, and empathy in their interactions with children. Children develop a sense of belonging and stability through the presence of staff who have worked in the home and cared for them for many years.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points. Children are supported through clear routines and structure to attend school. Children develop in terms of their use of language and speech, independence skills, and ability to manage their emotions better. Children’s achievements, however small, are celebrated by staff and managers, with children receiving certificates and rewards when they do well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work effectively with schools, parents, social workers, and health professionals to ensure that children’s overall needs are met. One social worker wrote, ‘The home provides a balanced diet that caters for the dietary needs of all the children. Staff are aware of and attentive to each child’s cultural and religious background, promoting respect and inclusion. Children are seen and heard as individuals beyond their disabilities, which is a significant strength of the home. Targeted key-working and involvement in local authority child looked after activities help foster a sense of belonging and equality among the children.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and development needs are met. Staff receive specialist training where children have for instance, specific health needs involve the administering of specific medications or where specific diets need to be adhered to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have opportunities to take part in a wide range of social, leisure and physical activities such as bowling, trampolining, art, and craft exhibitions. Records are kept of these events for children to see and many are visible throughout the home. An independent reviewing officer wrote, ‘you can tell he is well loved as the photos and narrative of all the things he does are not only very informative but also joyful – a real celebration of his life with them.’ This helps children to develop confidence in their abilities and a sense of pride in their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from the support staff provide in maintaining relationships with family and friends. Some children spend time away from the home with parents and family during the week and at the weekends. One parent said, ‘They do a fantastic job’ and ‘treat me with respect by listening to my views.’ Another parent wrote, ‘In short, we have nothing but positive things to say about The Haven and its staff. They’ve been truly wonderful with (child) — patient, caring, and kind.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and friendly. Managers have focussed attention on the decoration of the home, painting walls in colours that support children’s sensory needs. This contributes to a calming environment where children feel comfortable. Inspection report children's home: SC443337 4

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

All the children living at the home are always supported and supervised by at least one member of staff, or more, according to their care plan. Some children are subject to DOLS (Deprivation of liberty orders). This ensures that children are kept safe within the home and in the community.

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

Children have individualised safety plans to ensure that risks are understood, and staff can respond effectively to reduce harm. These safety plans are enhanced by contributions from behaviour support specialists, clinical psychologists, parents, social workers, schools, and the homes staff. Plans are reviewed regularly, particularly where new risks or behaviours are identified. This collaborative approach to safeguarding is a strength of the home.

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

Children develop positive and trusting relationships with those that care for them and are regularly asked by staff about their well-being. Staff are attuned to when children are anxious or worried and understand how to respond to concerns in relation to children’s safety. Managers and staff respond promptly to concerns raised in relation to the safety of children.

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

When incidents or allegations do occur, leaders and managers ensure that children’s welfare remains paramount and that the relevant agencies and people, such as parents, are informed. Leaders and managers undertake thorough investigations when concerns are raised regarding children’s safety leading to appropriate action based on the findings. In two recent incidents, regarding the administering and management of medicines, this has resulted in disciplinary procedures being initiated for the members of staff involved.

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

Restraint is not a feature of this home, but when it is used, there is appropriate management oversight and de-briefs for staff and children. Leaders and managers promote learning and reflection after incidents, to understand what could have been done differently. The local authority designated officer (LADO) commented that, ‘Over the past year, the home has consulted with the LADO regularly as and when concerns come up. They are quick to do this and work well in partnership with the LADO service.’

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

The home environment in which the children live is warm and safe. Due to the risks identified for children, and in line with agreed safety plans, some areas of the home, such as the kitchen area, are not accessible without staff supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good leadership and management of this home. The management oversight board formed after the last full inspection includes the Operational Director for Education and SEND (Special educational needs and disabilities), Head of Disability Services & Designated Social Care Officer (DSO) and Assistant director for Performance and Improvement. This co-ordinated senior management response has supported the Inspection report children's home: SC443337 5 registered manager in successfully addressing the shortfalls identified at the last inspection. This demonstrates leaders and managers commitment to acting as cooperate parents to the children living in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have improved their monitoring of the quality of care provided to children and measuring of their progress. This has been achieved through regular targeted auditing and observation. Ongoing development work has been identified for instance, in relation to the quality of recording of themed one to one work with children and staff’s regular use of a range of communication tools with children. Leaders and managers have high aspirations and expectations for children and understand that staff are key to the achieving of positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff spoken to in the main report being well supported by managers, who are accessible and listen to them. Staff have opportunities to engage in appropriate learning and development opportunities to help them in caring for children. Staff also benefit from reflective practice sessions, which means that they share experiences when specific incidents occur, or more generally can reflect on the impact of working with children in the home on them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and say that this helps them to think about how they do their work, as well as having space to air their views. However, in reviewing supervision records, there is some inconsistency in how conversations are recorded. In one particularly record, where staff raised issues with their manager, some of which required a response and challenge, no responses were recorded. This is not in line with good practice and raises questions regarding the effectiveness of the supervision in responding to staff needs and challenge of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers and staff work effectively with others to ensure that plans for children are implemented. One social worker wrote, ‘The manager provides clear leadership and ensures that communication between professionals is effective. I receive regular updates about the child’s progress, incidents, and achievements. Reports are detailed and timely. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of care planning and are proactive in multi-agency work. There is a strong sense of teamwork and shared responsibility for children’s outcomes.’ Inspection report children's home: SC443337 6

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that supervision records reflect accurately the content of discussions, address issues raised by staff and indicate appropriate responses and/or actions. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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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 children's home: SC443337 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 3rd Floor, 145 King Street, London, W6 9XY

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Inspector

Colin Bent, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC443337 8 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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