Children's Home run by Destiny House in Harrow

Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 1 SC038906 Registered provider:

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered in 2007. There has been no registered manager since August 2022. A manager has been appointed. However, the manager has not applied to register with Ofsted at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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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: 21 November 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: A compliance notice was issued under regulation 28, fitness of a manager. Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 3

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improvement to be good

The home environment is not child friendly. Although some redecoration has taken place, there are parts of the home that are uninviting and bare. The child’s bedroom has a crack in the ceiling, broken furniture and smudge marks on the back of their door. There is mould on the bathroom ceiling, which poses a risk to the child’s health. Despite the child living at the home for over a year, staff have not put up any photos of the child to help them feel at home.

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improvement to be good

Before the child moved into the home, they had a poor educational experience, and their outcomes were below their chronological age. Since moving into the home, their educational attainment has significantly improved. The virtual school team has provided a home tutor, who has supported the child to learn to read and write. The child is now enjoying the benefits of education.

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improvement to be good

The child has access to a wide range of outdoor and community activities. Activities include visits to the science museum, cultural days and trips to the cinema. The child enjoys going for a walk every day and attends an activity centre, where they get to play table tennis and basketball. This has helped to increase the child’s exercise levels and led to their overall physical health improving. The child is proud of the change in their appearance and physical fitness.

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improvement to be good

The responsible individual has advocated for the child to have their prescribed medication reviewed. This has resulted in health professionals reviewing and stopping medication that is no longer needed.

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improvement to be good

Staff have supported the child to develop a healthy sense of identity and to embrace their cultural heritage, which has in the past been something they have felt alienated from. Staff have worked closely with the child’s social worker to complete sensitive life- story work and to introduce the child to food that reflects their culture. Staff have also taken the child to cultural exhibitions. This approach has helped the child to gain a greater understanding of their culture and to have more pride about their ethnic heritage.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers report that there have not been any physical restraints since the last inspection. However, when incident records are reviewed, there is evidence that, on at least one occasion, an incident has resulted in a physical restraint being used. There is also nothing recorded to show that the child had the opportunity to express their feelings about the restraint, or demonstrate that any restorative action had been taken by the staff. Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 4 When consequences are used to help the child to understand boundaries and appropriate behaviour, these are not always recorded. There are no monitoring systems in place to review the use of consequences or to capture the child’s views. The child said that their pocket money was consistently reduced for ‘bad behaviour’, and this had been happening for a ‘long time’.

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improvement to be good

When incidents occur, these are not recorded in sufficient detail. The records do not fully illustrate how incidents are managed or the level of management oversight. There is no evidence of debriefs with staff or the child following an incident.

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improvement to be good

An allegation was made by the child, and this was referred to the local authority designated officer and resulted in no further action. However, there were no allegation records, and it was unclear if the child had been informed of the outcome of the allegation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has been an absence of a registered manager at this home for two years. Despite new managers starting at the home, this has not resulted in a manager being appropriately registered with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Although there is a manager in post, they have not applied to be registered with Ofsted. The new manager is beginning to make some positive changes. However, these are still in their infancy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The change in managers has left the responsible individual less informed about the smooth running of the home, in particular the quality of records, including incidents, restraints and allegations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A deputy manager has recently been appointed and has begun a review of records. They are gradually introducing systems to support the manager to ensure that good practice is being maintained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A new supervision template has been introduced that is helping to support members of staff to explore their professional development and to reflect on their practice. This includes a section where the child’s views on the member of staff are captured.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A workforce development plan has not been implemented and it is unclear how leaders intend to support staff to develop the home and improve interventions. Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 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 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

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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the child has a detailed behaviour support plan in line with the child’s care plan and risk assessment. Also, that staff understand and encourage positive behaviour. 30 January 2025 Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 6 Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate.

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Requirement Due date

These Regulations do not prevent a child from being deprived of liberty where that deprivation is authorised in accordance with a court order. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2) (3))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, to ensure that records of restraint are kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice, to ensure it meets the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

Any child who has been restrained should be given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. 30 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; 30 January 2025 Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 7 provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(vii)(viii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that they provide a homely, domestic environment and continue to repair and clean all areas of the home, including repairs to the kitchen door. The mould on the bathroom ceiling should be treated, broken furniture in the child’s bedroom should be replaced, cracks on the ceiling of the bedroom and behind the door should be addressed and the scuffed walls should be painted. Consideration should also be given to ensuring that the home environment is child friendly and reflects that a child is living in the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a workforce development plan is in place that complies with the quality standards and includes the experience and qualifications of the leaders and staff team, induction processes, supervision and induction of staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. This specifically relates to ensuring that language used is child friendly, ensuring that records of consequences, incidents and allegations are kept. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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 Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 8 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: SC038906 9

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Inspector

Angela Reid, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 10 and inspects 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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