Children's Home run by Derby City Council in Derby

Unique reference number SC036019 Inspection date 27/01/2010 Inspector Chris Fuller / Elaine Cray Type of inspection Random

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Date of last inspection 04/06/2009 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children’s Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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About this inspection

This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for the service.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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Brief description of the service

The children’s centre was opened in 1976. Set in its own grounds, it is one of a number of children's residential facilities. The building complex houses three separate units with five, six and six placements respectively. The service provides placements for young people aged between 10 to under 18 years of age in medium to long-term placements. Each unit may also take emergency admissions. There are 10 young people currently accommodated; four of the young people were seen during the inspection. There is a lounge, dining area and utility room on each unit. All bedrooms are single. The home is within easy reach of facilities and amenities which may be accessed by public transport.

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Summary

The overall quality rating is inadequate - notice of action to improve.

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Summary

This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Summary

This unannounced interim inspection monitors the key national minimum standards in respect of the outcome area of staying safe. In addition the actions and recommendations made at the last inspection in June 2009 are also monitored. These related to a wide range of service delivery and practice in the outcome areas of being healthy, enjoying and achieving, positive contribution, achieving economic well-being and organisation. At the last full inspection the centre was assessed as satisfactory.

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Summary

There has been a considerable period of change in the children's centre, with a significant number of different young people resident in the home since the summer inspection, and changes in the staffing arrangements of the home. Also, with one unit closed, there is currently a reduced number of young people and staff on the premises.

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Summary

Following this inspection, the overall judgement is inadequate. There are five actions and four recommendations made on this occasion. These arise in the staying safe and achieving economic well-being outcomes. Most significantly, many of these relate to the premises and the impact of the environment on the relationships between staff and young people and the quality of care provided to young people.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The management and staff have made some progress in addressing the actions and recommendations from the previous inspection. There are two actions and three recommendations that have not been fully addressed and these have been raised again from this inspection. The large number of actions and recommendations made at the previous inspection covered all of the outcome areas and are reported under the relevant section.

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Helping children to be healthy

Smoking champions have been identified on each unit and training provided for staff on smoking cessation, with a support group to encourage young people to make healthy choices about smoking. A hardback book has been provided and procedures implemented to record the receipt and disposal of any medication brought into the premises.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The arrangements to promote young people’s privacy and respect their confidentiality are inadequate.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people’s files are kept secure and confidential. Multi-purpose documents such as the special log, are no longer used, and public displays of information, such as charts displayed on the wall, have been removed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

However, there are some occasions when personal and confidential information is recorded in a multi-purpose document, such as the staff meeting book, alongside information relating to the unit's business. Staff demonstrated a limited understanding of the requirements of the Data Protection Act by recording private and confidential information about young people in documents other than their own personal records.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are able to access their daily records upon request and are given the opportunity to add their own comments. Young people have their own bedroom, and risk assessments are completed for the issue of keys to the rooms and a lockable safe to store personal valuables. Staff are respectful of young people’s private space and always knock on doors and will knock again and inform them of their intention to enter if there is no response. There is a room search policy and incidents are recorded in the young people’s daily records; this means should there be serious issues or concerns, these are addressed to protect the well-being of young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The units do not have the facility for young people to access a telephone on which to make and receive telephone calls in private. Although the young people receive top- up cards for mobile phones (if they have one), an extension line is provided into the corridor or lounge from the staff office or young people are provided with supervised use of the staff office phone, none of these arrangements are sufficient for all young people to make their calls in private.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people know how to complain. They are able to raise any issues or concerns through informal and formal communication systems, including contact with their social worker and external independent people. However, staff appeared unclear about how complaints are addressed, investigated and outcomes arrived at. In most cases, the complaints are referred to the management of the home to address in the first instance. This happens even when young people pass their concerns to an individual independent of the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

An independent advocacy service visits the home on a monthly basis to meet with the young people, which provides them with an opportunity to express any issues or concerns they may have. The individual units have records of the young people’s concerns and record that young people are informed of the outcome and offered an alternative route to pursue their concerns if they are not satisfied. Some of the issues raised by young people relate to the locking of doors to the unit, access to telephones, clothing needs and racist attitudes of staff. Some of the concerns are partially upheld and others not upheld. The home retains a central record of external complaints which demonstrate these are dealt with in a timely manner.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The centre has policies and procedures for all safeguarding practices in respect of child protection, countering bullying, absence of a child without authority and notification of significant events. The management and staff (including ancillary staff) receive training in safeguarding and child protection. The home provides care for vulnerable young people with a wide range of high risk factors. The centre has established working relationships with social work teams, the safeguarding board and local police. They work in partnership to protect vulnerable young people in the community. Within the home, allegations by young people against staff and management are reported to the safeguarding board and addressed appropriately. In addition, internal staff disciplinary procedures investigate whether any action needs to be taken or any lessons to be learnt from the incident. However, there are instances where young people have expressed concerns about the actions of the

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

staff or how they were held when making their comments in the record of restraint. There is no clear evidence that this has been referred to the safeguarding board or investigated in any way or a response made to the young person. This means while processes appear to be followed, it is not always clear that young people's welfare is protected.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There are systems in place to protect young people from bullying. The home has implemented a pre-admission risk assessment document which includes the prevention of bullying and then this is also included in each young person’s placement plan. Young people have the opportunity to express any concerns in the one-to-one meetings with staff and it is also raised as an issue in young people’s meetings. Staff state they will challenge any aggressive, offensive or discriminatory behaviour. Staff and young people appear to be aware of these issues and they are regularly discussed and addressed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has developed some good practice in addressing the absence of young people without authority. There are examples of good observation and surveillance in order to keep young people safe. The central log is generally well detailed and can be cross referenced to more detailed incident records. Records show that staff have good links and networking with other agencies. Staff are very aware of the risk to young people if they go missing. They are proactive in searching for young people to bring them back to the unit and encourage young people to keep the unit informed of their whereabouts. Young people are made aware of the risks in the community and how to keep themselves safe, by access to independent agencies that can give advice and support. An individual ‘going missing risk assessment’ is completed for young people, with strategies for clear steps to be taken. As with other records regarding safeguarding, the recording and proper trail process are quite complex,

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

with a large number of records and documents in use. For example, safe and sound checks are signed off in the central record and sometimes cross referenced to the incident form and other times to the one-to-one record. Levels of control are sometimes very high and could be assessed as potentially oppressive, for example, doors to units being locked and the removal of footwear. Action was taken to discuss use of these measures for one young person and they were included in the placement plan. While these form part of the measures of control deployed by the home, it is not clear that these have been discussed and agreed with the individual young person’s social worker or parents in each case.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has a clear well-established policy and procedure for notifications. Notifications are generally made in a timely manner.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Strategies to enable young people to develop socially acceptable behaviour are poorly implemented. Physical intervention is regularly used and appears to be applied at times to make young people comply with staff requests rather than to protect young people or others from harm. While physical intervention techniques are documented in detail, there is no mention of any specific holds; consequently it is difficult to ascertain the physical intervention methods used in the home. This is compounded as the home did not have a copy of the handling emotion and aggression restraint training manual available for guidance.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

At times young people are isolated in rooms usually used by staff. These practices are not recorded as sanctions, and the process of removal from the unit to isolate the young person in the ‘cooling off’ room potentially places young people at risk due to the distance to travel through corridors and doorways, and the furnishings in the rooms available. As mentioned earlier there is no evidence that concerns raised by young people with regard to restraints are addressed and fedback to young people. Additionally, incentive strategies appear ineffective for some young people. The scheme has some benefit for young people who have been resident in the home for some time. However, others who are new to the service find it difficult to maintain and improve behaviour in the limited time they are expected to do so, in order to receive their incentives. For these young people timescales are unrealistic and in

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

essence may result in poor self-esteem and lack of progress as they consistently fail to reach their targets.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Relationships between staff and young people appear to be poor and fragmented and young people present as unhappy, agitated or with little motivation. Young people were observed to be sitting alone watching television, or having little or no interaction with staff. Sometimes the young people do not consider the restraint and sanctions to be fair. Management state the physical interventions training and manual are regularly reviewed and while alternatives have been considered, no suitable alternative has been identified. The combination of an unsuitable environment, the quality of communication between staff and young people and poor implementation of behaviour management strategies mean that young people’s behaviour is not effectively supported by the behaviour management policies, procedures and practice.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are informed of the importance of keeping themselves safe, through leaflets, training and information provided by staff. The refurbishment of one unit in the home started in January 2010 and staff and young people are not allowed on the unit for health and safety purpose. The home has comprehensive fire safety records and measures. There are regular fire drills including night-time drills. Records clearly record the numbers of staff and young people and times taken for evacuation. The Registered Manager confirmed that the risk assessments of the home’s premises and grounds, and children’s known and likely activities are completed and can be found on the individual units. There is a comprehensive safe catering policy. Management restated in staff team meetings, the importance of the labelling of foodstuffs and ventilation in the unit kitchens. Young people are kept safe through implementation

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

of the health and safety policies and procedures.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home has an established system for the vetting and supervision of visitors. Staff recruitment records are held at the human resources section of the head office. Staff personnel files, with copies of recruitment records, are held secure and confidential and are in good order. The management have established an effective system for the recruitment of suitable staff to work with young people.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people’s files have the required personal education plans in place. An audit of files is completed and any missing documents are requested from the service manager. An improvement in the staffing levels and attendance enables staff to develop individual programmes for young people providing a better balance of structured and unstructured time.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Placement plans are comprehensive with an extensive amount of detail covering all of the outcome areas. The core plan records decisions based on the individual and group risk assessment in respect of new admissions to the centre. Staff contact the social worker for the young person or their line manager on a weekly basis, regarding the progress of young people.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Pathway plans are developed for young people leaving care to promote their independent living skills and enable their transition for leaving care.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The following comments are taken from the last key inspection report with there being little change to the premises other than the immediate health and safety issues.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

‘The premises do not provide adequate good quality domestic style facilities, neither are they maintained in good order throughout. The centre is a detached property in its own grounds. It is located in an urban area; this makes for easy access to a range of community facilities and resources for health, education, recreation and leisure. While staff make every effort to create a pleasant, safe environment for young people to live in, the children’s centre is not domestic in size or homely in ambience and the premises and layout remain large and institutional. The building complex consists of management and administration offices, a meeting room, recreation hall and three units providing placements for young people. There are a range of centre facilities including: the enhanced care project building, forum, fitness room, art room, sports store and considerable grounds. Safety and security of the young

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Achieving economic wellbeing

people and premises is a primary feature of the physical aspects of the building and the ethos of care within the home. Some of the individual bedrooms are very small with room for a single bed and wardrobe and bedside cupboard. Generally, bathroom and shower facilities are basic, in small rooms, and regular damage to shower units places them out of order.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

At the time of the inspection there was a building in the grounds awaiting demolition. The basic fabric and structure of the premises are worn, damaged and continually in need of repairs. In addition, plumbing and water supply in the units is variable for hot and cold water.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Due to limited space on the individual units, there are not always rooms available in which children can meet privately with visitors or space for private activities, play and recreation which do not affect other children’s routine activities. Therefore if young people choose to meet visitors on the unit, there is the potential for the meeting to be interrupted or, for other young people living there the use of that room is restricted. There are communal facilities and resources shared between the three units and arrangements can be made to book use of these.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The staff work hard to provide a pleasant environment for young people including some tiling and decoration in bathrooms and young people’s rooms. Young people and staff plant pots at the front of the building to brighten the institutional frontage and exterior of the building with metal barriers on the flat roof. Staff and young people are very pleased with a successful fund raising project to purchase outdoor seating which appears to be frequently used by individuals and groups of young people.’ The work for refurbishment of the premises has just begun on the Elmhurst unit following a delay in the proposed start of works in November 2009. This will provide some structural improvement and basic maintenance of the facilities for young people being looked after. The management are giving consideration to a reduction in placements to make more space available within the units during the relocation and transfer period. The management are aware of the unsuitability of the premises

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Achieving economic wellbeing

and state the refurbishment will provide a five-year life span for continued use. However, this timescale is far too long due to the impact on the home’s ability to meet the needs of young people, staff relationships with young people, and behaviour management. The space, facilities and grounds do not meet the requirements for accommodation, and in their present condition, they do not provide a safe secure environment for young people.

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Organisation

A recommendation made at the last inspection relating to staff supervision has been achieved. Managers provide support to new members of staff through two weekly supervision during the first six months of their employment. However, this outcome area is judged as inadequate on this occasion as there are significant concerns in relation to the outcome area of staying safe, which is a limiting judgement.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Std. Action Due date

9 ensure that children accommodated in the home are provided at all reasonable times with access to a telephone on which to make and receive telephone calls in private (Regulation 15(4)(a)) 28/02/2010

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Std. Action Due date

24 ensure that suitable facilities are provided within the children’s home for any child accommodated there to meet privately at any reasonable time with his parents, relatives and friends, and the persons listed in paragraph (2) (Regulation 15 (1)(b)) 28/02/2010

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Std. Action Due date

22 ensure the registered person shall keep under review and where appropriate revise the behaviour management policy and notify Ofsted of any such revision within 28 days (Regulation 17 (3)) 28/02/2010

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Std. Action Due date

23 ensure premises are in a location, and of a physical design and 31/07/2010 layout, which are suitable for the purpose of achieving the aims and objectives set out in the home’s Statement of Purpose (Regulation 31(1)) 24 ensure that all parts of the children’s home used by the children are suitably furnished and equipped, of sound construction and in good structural repair externally and internally, and kept clean, reasonably decorated and maintained. (Regulation 31(2)(c )(d)(e)) 30/04/2010

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure children's privacy is respected and information is confidentially handled with reference to staff meeting minutes (NMS 9.1)  ensure the home and staff respect a child’s wish for privacy and confidentiality, for example, having due regard to the Data Protection Act 2003 ( NMS 9.1)  ensure the registered person has liaised with the local safeguarding board to seek advice about local procedures and practice and has discussed how the practices in the home relate to these regarding keeping children safe, responding to allegations or suspicions of abuse, methods of control and risk taking (NMS 17.5)  ensure when a child is considered likely to go missing, the registered person has agreed procedures to monitor the child and to specify how the child may be prevented from leaving the home. Any measures, such as the locked door policy or the proactive removal of a young person’s shoes, must be used as agreed in

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Recommendations

the child’s placement plan and where applicable, care plan. (NMS 19.18)

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