Children's Home run by London Borough of Hillingdon in Hillingdon

Inspection report children's home: SC068789 1 SC068789

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Registered provider: London Borough of Hillingdon

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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 cares for up to 9 children with physical and/or learning disabilities. The home is divided into two sections. One section offers short-break care for up to 5 children and the other provides longer-term care for up to 4 children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2023 and is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living at the home long term and a total of 19 children were attending for short breaks.

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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 outstanding

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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: 18 February 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC068789 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/02/2025 Full Good 23/10/2023 Full Good 13/12/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/09/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report children's home: SC068789 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good quality care from a committed staff team. The staff are skilled in meeting the needs of children across both services. Staff have a detailed understanding of how children express themselves. They know each child’s individual likes and dislikes and who the important people are in their lives. Staff speak to the child, their family and professionals to make sure that they use the best strategies to support children when they are staying at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who come to live at the home long-term are helped to prepare for their move with social stories, a children’s guide and visit before they move in. Staff visit children who are new to the respite service in their school and invite them to tea visits before their first overnight stay. This helps children to familiarise themselves with the home and the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help prepare children for significant changes in their lives. Children who reach 18 are supported to access respite in adult provision. A good working relationship with adult services means children have opportunity to visit the new home with staff and their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by a consistent team of skilled staff who know them very well. Children build trusting and meaningful relationships with staff. Children’s special interests and individual needs are taken into consideration before their visits and their time is planned for accordingly. Children feel cared for and parents are extremely positive about the care their children are provided with calling it ‘life-changing’ and ‘brilliant’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points. Staff devise support plans that establish children’s individual goals and targets. Staff know these targets well and work with children to achieve their goals which they then celebrate together. Staff promote independence and support children to develop self-care skills. Children’s experiences are creative, rewarding and fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s learning outcomes are good. All children enjoy and attend school regularly. Staff work in collaboration with children’s schools. All the children who use the respite service live locally. Staff know the local services and support in the borough well and signpost families to this support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are highly skilled in meeting children’s often complex healthcare needs. Regular visits and training by nurses and health practitioners ensure that staff’s competency and knowledge is regularly reviewed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have lots of space to play and learn at the home. The home is well resourced with games and activities, a sensory room and sensory garden, a trampoline and Inspection report children's home: SC068789 4 sandpit. The home has a regular visitor; a therapy dog who the children love spending time with.

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

Staff understand children’s risks and vulnerabilities beyond their disabilities. Regular staff discussions mean that new insights about children are shared and documented. This is especially important for non-speaking children. Staff use different methods of communication specific to each child and work hard to ensure that children can express how they are feeling.

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

Staff recognise the impact of trauma on some children’s lives. They listen well and are attuned to when children are upset or distressed. They teach children about safety, including safe touch and how to raise concerns. Physical intervention is rare and closely monitored.

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

Staff manage risk well. They receive training in medication, fire safety, de-escalation and other key areas. Fire drills are regular, and evacuation plans are in place. Roles and responsibilities for the administration of medication, peg feeding and oxygen are clearly set out in children’s care plans. Equipment and medication is regularly reviewed and audited.

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

Safeguarding systems are well embedded. Leaders and managers have clear processes for responding to concerns. Staff know how to whistle blow and who to contact with a concern, including out of hours. Each child’s file includes a safeguarding flowchart to guide staff.

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

Safeguarding concerns are managed appropriately and external investigations support impartiality. Leaders review incidents and use them to strengthen practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is experienced, reflective and extremely resilient. She keeps children at the centre of all practice and advocates strongly for them. The stable, skilled and organised management team provide highly effective leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and leadership team create a culture where children’s wellbeing is central to decisions made in the home. They set high expectations and lead by example. The dedicated staff team share this commitment and are motivated to provide consistent and nurturing care of a high standard. This child-centred ethos unquestionably underpins practice and drives continuous improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team has clear systems to monitor children’s progress. They review care plans and risk assessments regularly in consultation with children. Staff attend network meetings and complete three-monthly reports, to monitor each child’s progress. The registered manager advocates for children to promote stability for children and ensures that their plans do not drift. Inspection report children's home: SC068789 5 Staff engage in comprehensive training in safeguarding, health and safety and a therapeutic model of care that informs practice. Bespoke training is sought to meet individual children’s needs. Regular supervision, appraisals and team meetings promote reflection and professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team build strong partnerships with families, schools and professionals. Feedback from parents and professionals is consistently positive. Leaders ensure that families feel involved and supported and children benefit from coordinated care. Pictures documenting the children’s stay and their achievements at the home are sent to their family after visits. This provides family with reassurance and an important keepsake for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager understands the challenges of operating both residential and respite services in one setting. They maintain clear boundaries between services exceptionally well. Inspection report children's home: SC068789 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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: London Borough Of Hillingdon, Civic Centre, High Street, UxbridgeUB8 1UW

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Inspector

Matilda Clode, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC068789 7 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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