Children's Home run by Nottingham City Council in Nottingham

Unique reference number SC034969 Inspection date 06/03/2014 Inspector Caroline Brailsford Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 07/11/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home, which is provided by a local authority, is registered to care for three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is a short-term assessment provision whereby needs are assessed and a suitable long-term placement is identified within a 12-week assessment period.

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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.

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Progress

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

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Progress

At the last inspection this home was judged as adequate. There were two requirements made and two recommendations. The home demonstrates continued improvement in the quality of care because the Registered Manager has suitably addressed all the requirements and recommendations made at the previous inspection. The requirements were in relation to the management of the needs of new young people alongside the needs of the existing group of young people. For example there were issues about compatibility and about potential risks due to some young people being placed together.

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Progress

The management team have ensured that there has been substantial progress on this issue. They have implemented new documentation which assists them in the assessment of all potential admissions against the existing needs and issues in the current group of young people. This has enabled them to come to an appropriate and informed decisions based around compatibility and safety. It has also empowered the Registered Manager to have more autonomy in the decisions about new admissions within the organisation. It is clear that several referrals have not been accepted due to the changed process and because of a more thorough pre- admission assessment. In addition the paperwork is fully available for staff so that they can see how a decision about an admission has been reached. At the last inspection staff were concerned about the decision making process. As a result of the new process they now report that all admissions are appropriate and allow young

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Progress

people to develop and make progress during their time at the home.

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Progress

The recommendations made at the last inspection were about the home's daily log book, where some inappropriate and personal information about young people had been recorded. The management team have discussed this with the staff who now understand the importance of the issue. As a consequence the daily log book now contains only clear and appropriate information which assists in the monitoring of events in the home.

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Progress

Further improvements since the last inspection include other aspects of the management of the home. The management team have been very pro-active in ensuring that they work more closely with the staff to involve them more in the operational running of the home. For example team meetings have enabled staff at all levels to speak out about what they think about the running of the home. In addition there have been some team building exercises resulting in improvements to team morale.

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Progress

The home's development plan contains key information about how the management team plan to further improve the home. The plan continues to involve the staff and the young people well. For example, as a result of listening to young people the old manager's office is being converted into a new education room. Work on diversity and culture is a high priority as are plans for social activities in the coming months. The plan also encompasses the issues from the last inspection ensuring that the management team are responsive to issues as they arise.

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Progress

Young people continue to make good progress, particularly in their positive relationships with staff and managers. This means that they also feel very able to talk to and receive support from staff in relation to what's happening in their life. One young person said 'staff support me well' and 'they know me really well' which is reinforcing the positive relationships. Young people think that they also progress well with their behaviour because of the positive relationships with staff. One young person said 'I have calmed down a lot' and 'my anger is better'. These comments reflect the significant changes that young people can make at this home with regard to their behaviour.

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Progress

Young people's safety and welfare has a very high priority in this home. Staff are good at ensuring that young people understand their own safety needs. When young people go missing the management team lead the subsequent work effectively. They strive to find young people as soon as possible and work very well with other professionals such as the police. This is illustrated by professionals' comments on the home's practice in this area which include 'staff have been brilliant' and 'they do more than is required'. In addition the staff look for opportunities for further learning in this area by creating training opportunities so that practice can be improved further. For example, some training has recently been organised on room searching in collaboration with the police. A range of work also takes place to educate young people about the risks associated with being missing. For example, young people

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Progress

regularly engage with outside agencies who support and advise them on issues such as child sexual exploitation.

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Progress

Despite the homes remit as a short-term assessment centre young people continue to make good progress with their education. In addition, progress regarding independence planning is good and young people can pursue such activities at their own pace, which promotes their safety and independence. For example cooking, shopping and cleaning tasks are used to teach young people the skills they need in their life as an adult. Risks with regard to young people moving on to adult services are managed well and staff are clear that young people will only move on when they are ready. This ensures that the next placement will be successful and that the young person is ready for the next stage in their independence planning.

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

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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.

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