Children's home run by London Borough of Harrow

Inspection report for children's home: SC033919 1 SC033919 Registered provider: London Borough of Harrow

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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 home is run by a local authority and provides a short-break service for up to five children with learning and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2024.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 23 children were using the service. Four children were staying overnight.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC033919 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2025 Full Good 21/08/2023 Full Good 12/10/2022 Full Good 23/06/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC033919 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience well-planned transition arrangements in preparation for their short stays. Time is taken to speak with parents and to involve professionals to gain a clear understanding of each child's individual care needs. The manager carefully considers the child's health needs and identifies any staff training required before their first stay. Staff demonstrate insight into how children are feeling and advocate on their behalf, adjusting the pace of visits, either increasing or reducing them, according to the child's needs. This ensures that the child's feelings and voice are listened to and acted upon throughout the transition process.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience predictable and enjoyable care in this home. On arrival from school, children show clear signs of being settled and familiar with the environment, quickly engaging in their usual routines with the help of personalised visual cues. Staff know the children well and use communication tools such as symbols, photographs and 'now and next' boards effectively so that children understand what is happening and who will be supporting them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are consulted on how they are cared for. Staff use the children's communication preferences to engage them in shaping their own daily routines and environment. Staff share observations in team discussions to increase staff understanding of each child's behaviours and choices. Children are also directly consulted. For example, children have been involved in choosing the new kitchen design and going out with staff to select furnishings for the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to take part in activities they enjoy. Staff check children's comfort and responses throughout interactions, whether supporting a child to enjoy outdoor activities, providing sensory time alone, or helping a child follow their mealtime routine. Across observations, staff are attentive, calm and responsive, enabling children to communicate using their own methods without frustration.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive effective and timely help to prepare them for their futures. The manager begins to advocate for children while they are still in high school. The manager and staff challenge the placing authority to ensure that children and their families have access to services in good time. This promotes children and their families experiencing positive moves into adult provisions, where they continue to do well.

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

The manager's arrangements for managing medication and children's complex health needs are safe and effective. Audits are carried out that identify issues early and provide an additional level of scrutiny. This includes welcoming external services to review staff practice and adherence to procedures. Inspection report for children's home: SC033919 4 Children receive a well-coordinated response when they go missing from the home. Incidents of this nature are rare, but when a child went missing after exiting through a faulty door mechanism, staff took prompt action to search the local area, liaise with the police, and support the child's safe return within an hour. The manager took immediate remedial action to address the environmental risk, including repairing the door mechanism and installing an audible alarm. Staff also strengthened risk management through reflective team learning, updating the missing-from-care procedures, and

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

scenario-based practice designed to clarify roles and improve response times.

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

The use of physical intervention is rare. When children are distressed or could cause themselves harm, staff use creative strategies to distract children and engage them in things they enjoy. The manager talks to parents and school to gain greater insight and promote consistency of care. As a result, those times when children could harm themselves are significantly reduced and children have a positive experience during those times that present greater risk for the child.

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

The manager shows professional curiosity and follows up on small pieces of information to keep children safe. This demonstrates a sound understanding of wider contextual safeguarding risks and an ability to advocate strongly for children's safety. However, when children arrive with bruises, the recording of information and the follow-up discussions with school and parents are not always clear. This has led to confusion about the cause of a child's injuries. Such errors increase risks for children who already face additional barriers in explaining how their injuries occurred.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers use feedback to improve the experience of children during their short breaks. The manager reflects on practice in staff team meetings and conducts observational competency training. Managers compliment this development through topic led supervisions to supporting individual staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes a positive and open culture. Staff speak about the children in a warm and knowledgeable way and discussions show they understand the children well. The manager can shift conversations from light-hearted to focused and staff respond appropriately. This allows the team to share concerns and discuss improvements in a straightforward and constructive way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. Staff say they are supported by their managers and colleagues. They are supported as individuals through any personal and professional issues they may have. Additional needs of employees are given a high degree of importance with technology and items placed around the home to make it easier to undertake their role and contribute effectively to the care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although staff know the children well, the quality of supported care planning is not as strong. Essential information is not consistently recorded in children's plans. As a result, staff who support 23 children with highly individualised routines are sometimes given Inspection report for children's home: SC033919 5 conflicting information. This places children at risk of avoidable and potentially serious harm, including choking, because staff may unknowingly follow incorrect instructions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are gaps in safer recruitment practice. The checks and vetting of new employees do not fully comply with Schedule 2 requirements. For one member of staff, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check does not correspond with the information held on the Update Service. In addition, the employee's references were not sufficiently explored to establish the reasons for leaving their previous role when working with children. Inspection report for children's home: SC033919 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(iii)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, improve the recording of concerns about children's safety. This includes when children arrive for their short breaks with unexplained bruising. 16 April 2026

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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

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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

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(e)(h)) 16 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC033919 7 In particular, the manager must improve the monitoring of the quality of care planning and ensure that there is no conflicting information that could put children at risk.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: SC033919 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Harrow Council Hub, Forward Drive, Harrow HA3 8NT

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Children's home details

Registered manager: Michalina Paszkowska

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Inspector

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC033919 9 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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