Children's Home run by Nottinghamshire County Council in Nottinghamshire

Unique reference number SC036726 Inspection date 06/03/2013 Inspector Rebecca Sharp Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 22/11/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

Brief description of the service

This home is operated by the local authority. It provides a residential service for six children and young people, and a short-break service for six children and young people. All the children and young people have severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviours.

p.3

The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

p.3

Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress .

p.3

Progress

At the last full inspection in November 2012, the overall effectiveness of the home was judged as outstanding with no requirements or recommendations made. The purpose of this inspection is to monitor the progress made since the last inspection. No shortfalls have been identified during this visit. In light of this and the number of positive developments in the home, the judgement at this inspection is that the service has made good progress.

p.3

Progress

Progress since the last inspection has centred on the development of staff. A number of staff have attended a range of training courses since the last inspection, including advanced child development, advocacy training and managing allegations, in order to ensure their competence to provide exceptional care for young people with complex needs. Staff have been consulted on a number of issues including supervision, staff meetings and handovers. Developments in these areas have enabled efficient and consistent communication throughout the staff team.

p.3

Progress

Each young person has an in-house residential action plan. These plans are holistic and highly individualised. They contain excellent detail about the strengths and abilities of children and describe the level of support adults should give to enable children to develop independence and social skills. Since the last inspection, these plans have evolved into being based on objectives. Keyworkers liaise with parents, schools and social workers in order to ensure that objectives set are consistent across all parties. This means individuals receive optimum support in key areas of their care and progress can be monitored more effectively by the manager. Some young people have made significant improvements in their behaviour since the last inspection. There have been no incidents of restraint or sanctions applied for a number of months.

p.3

Progress

The leadership and management of the home are comprehensive and proficient. The manager has a detailed development plan in place which identifies a clear agenda of improvement that focuses on outcomes for children. Staff feel supported by the management team. One member of staff stated: ‘I get regular supervision and feel it is meaningful. I get lots of support from the team and often receive praise.’ The home is operating in accordance with its conditions of registration and the registered person remains fit for registration.

p.4

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 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

p.5

About this inspection

The report details the progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection.

p.5