Children's Home run by Nottingham City Council in Nottingham

Unique reference number SC034900 Inspector Caroline Brailsford Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Nottingham City Council Registered person address Nottingham City Council, Loxley House Station Street NOTTINGHAM NG2 3NG Responsible individual Kay Sylvia Sutt Registered manager Joanne Wright / John Richard Imms Date of last inspection 05/03/2014 2 of 11 Inspection date 15/09/2014

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Previous inspection satisfactory progress Enforcement action since last inspection There has been no enforcement action since the last inspection.

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people outstanding Quality of care outstanding Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management good

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Overall effectiveness

The home is very well managed by a management team who are energetic for improvement and who are highly committed to the needs of the young people. Because the home is very well managed, young people have opportunities to make excellent progress in all areas of their care, taking into account their starting point. Considerable efforts are made to address the complex needs of the young people, and robust care planning is highly personalised. Staff at all levels know the needs of the young people extremely well and are passionate about their work with young people. They are highly driven and motivated by the progress that young people make.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are always at the centre of the work taking place. They are listened to and have a say in what is happening in their lives and in the operational running of the home. Their short break is of great benefit to them because they make some considerable progress.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people make significant improvements to their behaviour, and as a result, their life chances are improved; for example, they can access the community and their education because they are more settled. 3 of 11 Staff know the needs of the young people exceptionally well, and the highly personalised care planning approach helps to maximise progress. Staff are exceptionally good at ensuring that young people feel highly valued. Also, they ensure that all young people know that they can achieve great things in their life. They ensure that interests and talents are realised, well nurtured and ensure that young people find out what they are good at and what they enjoy.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are safe in this home. A robust risk assessment process assists staff and young people in taking controlled risks to benefit young people and maximise progress at the same time as protecting their safety and welfare.

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Overall effectiveness

As a result of this inspection, there are two requirements regarding shortfalls in meeting the legislation. One requirement is about notifications to Ofsted. This is because there has been an isolated incident where Ofsted has not been appropriately informed. In addition, a requirement has been made about formal supervision for staff. Although staff are extremely well supported, one supervision session planned in July 2014 has not yet taken place to address a staff practice issue, despite there being more informal discussions. There are two recommendations set at this inspection. This is because the building is looking tired and unsightly in places and the safeguarding procedure is not easy for staff to find. 4 of 11

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Information about this children’s home

This service provides residential short-breaks care for up to 11 young people with learning and physical disabilities. It also offers a service to some young adults aged up to 19 years. The home is run by a local authority.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 10/07/2013 Full good 14/03/2013 Interim good progress 20/11/2012 Full adequate

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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 person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that if in relation to any of the events listed in Schedule 5 takes place, the registered person shall without delay notify the persons indicated in the table, this is in relation to notifications to Ofsted (Regulation 30.1 schedule 5) 29/11/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all persons employed by the registered person receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal, this is in relation to supervision (Regulation 27,4 (a)) 29/11/2014

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Recommendations

5 of 11 To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated (NMS 10.3)  ensure that the home's safeguarding procedure is in line with government guidelines and requirements, including the duty to refer information to statutory bodies and that it is known to staff volunteers and children. (NMS 20.2) 6 of 11

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people benefit from significantly improved outcomes as a direct result of their time at the home. Particularly good progress is made in relation to developing the social skills needed to enable young people to fully access society. In turn, this enables them to enjoy activities that they would not have accessed in the past due to their behaviour. There is an extremely high level of involvement in the local community. Young people are regularly involved with running a coffee shop in the local area and involved in community projects such as an art project along the new tram line in Nottingham. In addition, young people access events and larger trips out. The trips are organised according to young people's individual needs and have included trips to London, football matches at Wembley and holidays on canal boats and holiday parks. This improves their quality of life and they are able to identify their

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

interests and talents. One social worker talked about staff and said 'if they can make wishes come true they do'.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Staff assist young people exceptionally well with their own individual complex health issues, resulting in young people's improved health. For example, staff use carefully planned daily routines and the young person's own communication style to help them to understand their own health needs. This benefits young people because they learn about their own medical condition and how to manage this with the least disruption to their everyday life. In addition, young people feel very able to talk to staff openly about their health or personal matters such as relationships and growing up, which helps them to understand their own issues and to be safer.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Each young person attends their own school during their short break and transport is well organised so that they can continue to maintain excellent attendance and engagement. Liaison between parents, schools and the home is excellent, ensuring that young people receive a very consistent approach to their learning. This enables learning targets to be transferred well from each environment. The Assistant Head of one school talked about how this benefits young people positively and said 'staff do know what we are working on and consistency is fantastic'. Each young person’s achievements, however small, are celebrated, and extremely good communication with them ensures that they are very clear about what they need to do to make as much progress as possible. For example, for one young person, staff have produced photographs of the task to assist the young person to fully understand what is expected of them. This work encourages young people to make considerable progress

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

and includes aspects of learning about independence.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people receive excellent practical and emotional support to maintain and develop contact with their families. It is clear that there are no limitations to support from staff in relation to contacts, and where parents want to ring up at different times of the day, this is fully supported. Staff understand the relationships that young 7 of 11 people have with people important to them and assist young people in developing those relationships well for their future.

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people have a say about decisions affecting them; for example some young people have asked to stay at the home with their friends. Therefore, staff have ensured that friendship groups have been developed to enable this to happen. One social worker said there are 'lots of opportunities for children to socialise with their peers and benefit'. Young people choose their activities and staff make sure that they always enjoy their stay. This is because they ask about what young people would like to do whist they are at the home. Staff are also particularly creative in ensuring that young people fully understand what is happening in their own life, through very individual resources such as picture prompts, sign language, symbols and photographs. This assists them to express their views and choices as much as is possible.

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people also contribute very positively to the running of the home through young people's meetings, individual discussions and an advocacy service. Staff think very creatively and ensure that young people can have as much of a say as possible about how the home is run. For example, there is a young person's panel for staff interviews and their views are taken very seriously by management when selecting staff to work in the home.

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people receive very high standards of care and support because staff see them in an extremely positive light. Staff value each young person for the attributes they bring and feel highly motivated by the progress that young people make. They think about how best they can assist young people to pursue talents and interests and through creative thinking, ensure that young people make as much progress as is possible. For example for some young people, staff have ensured that they have developed their communication through their talent of art. This has in turn enabled them to produce some of their own art pieces, which are highly acclaimed by local artists and tutors. This ensures that young people realise their full potential for their future. This has a positive impact on their future because they will be able to enjoy this talent and could potentially choose a vocation where they could excel. In

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Quality of care outstanding

addition, where there are other interests, staff go the extra mile to ensure that young people can have new experiences. This gives them the feeling that anything is achievable. A young person has recently flown a light aircraft and another young person has received a nomination from staff for 'young person of the year'. Staff nominated the young person because they are so impressed about how they manage a health condition alongside a number of other challenges in their life. Staff highly respect each individual and young people know that the staff have very high aspirations for them and encourage them to aim high. 8 of 11 There is an outreach service attached to the home which works hand in hand with staff around behavioural issues and this team leads on individualised behaviour management strategies. This ensures that staff are working in the same way as parents and carers for complete consistency. Staff also know the young people's

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Quality of care outstanding

strengths and targets, so every opportunity is taken by them to promote learning. Staff work very well to encourage young people to behave in a more socially acceptable way and to fit in and be more accepted into their own communities. This is of great benefit to young people, who in the past have struggled to do this.

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Quality of care outstanding

Care plans are highly individual and responsive to the changing and emerging needs of young people. This high quality work always informs future planning at the earliest opportunity so that young people can develop to their full potential.

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Quality of care outstanding

The home’s location and design are well suited to young people's needs. The home's locality provides good access to a range of local amenities, services and transport links. The building, although well suited to the needs and management of young people, presents as a little tired in places. For example, the garden to unit two, where there are areas that are dirty, marks on windows and where paint is peeling off exterior doors. In addition, in unit one there are some radiators in the bathrooms which present as unsightly with rust on the bottom.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people's behaviour has significantly improved as a result of the highly individual and positive approach taken by staff. The young people are extremely complex in their behaviour, yet the staff work very hard getting to know them so that they can be fully understood. There are very few physical interventions in the home reflecting staffs' hands off and creative style of behaviour management. The approach includes a necessity to know the young person very well and how their behaviour can be individually addressed, so that they can make improvements. Staff training in behaviour management reinforces and further promotes the positive approach to young people.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home has safeguarding policies which include procedures to be followed in the event of a child protection concern. Staff are very clear that they would always respond immediately and discuss concerns with their manager without delay. However, the procedure in the home is not easy to find because it is attached to a recording form, rather than a quick reference for staff to inform them of how to respond. Where there are safeguarding issues that come to light, the management response is robust and lessons learned are quickly acted upon. The relevant authorities are swiftly informed. This ensures that social workers and other professionals have the high level of detail required to act in the best interest of the child at the earliest opportunity. However, one issue was not passed to Ofsted in line with the Regulations. Therefore Ofsted were not able to regulate on the matter to 9 of 11 ensure that all the appropriate action and been taken. This has not impacted on

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Keeping children and young people safe good

young people at this time but may do so in the future if not put right.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people's risk assessments are extremely individual and robust. They contain full information about how risks should be reduced. This impacts very positively on young people's welfare, because the staff are knowledgeable and fully aware of what they must do to keep the young person safe. No young people have been missing since the last inspection. Staffing ratios are very high, allowing for the good supervision of young people.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Recruitment practices are good, which helps to protect young people from the risk of harm and abuse. Tests on health and safety equipment take place and help to keep young people, visitors and staff safe. A risk assessment process in relation to the building and all activities further helps to promote the safety of all who use it. For example, a risk assessment about the local area and community is available, which considers the potential risks and sets out steps that should be taken to minimise these. This ensures that staff are very clear about what they must do to protect young people.

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Leadership and management good

The home’s Statement of Purpose covers all the requirements as detailed in Schedule 1 of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2001. The document reflects correctly the work taking place and the home operates within its' conditions of registration.

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Leadership and management good

Progress in meeting the one requirement from the last inspection has taken place. The manager has ensured that all staff are very clear about whether they should physically support young people, so that they are able to have a necessary health procedure in an emergency situation. Staff are well aware that this is a controversial issue and fully understand that all children have rights, whatever the situation. They are also fully aware that every situation would need to be risk assessed, with their manager and parent in order for a decision to be reached. In addition, the recommendation about reporting concerns about staff has been addressed. The management team have developed a good relationship with the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and liaise with them on all matters where there are specific concerns about staff.

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Leadership and management good

Staff training since the last full inspection is excellent. Safeguarding training features highly in the training programmes, which fully incorporate the issues around the vulnerability of disabled children in residential care. Staff are fully able to think about how their learning impacts on their work with young people. For example, recent training on 'signs of safety' has been well embedded in staffs' practice. This has recently ensured some high quality work with regard to some safeguarding issues in relation to a young person. Staff are highly motivated by such training and are therefore excited about making a positive difference to young people's lives. There is 10 of 11 also mandatory training in health care tasks, first aid and behaviour management. All staff, apart from recently appointed staff have attained the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 3 in Caring for Children or an equivalent qualification.

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Leadership and management good

Staff supervision is up-to-date for most staff and this allows them to be supported and have their practice supervised and monitored. However, where one specific session should have taken place for one staff in relation to their practice, there is no evidence of this session taking place in the home despite the issue happening in July 2014. However, their manager is clear about the fact that work around the issue did take place in a more informal discussion. Therefore this has not impacted on young people. However, this has the potential to do so in the future. This is because staffs' performance may not be appropriately or formally monitored.

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Leadership and management good

The home is very well managed. One member of staff said 'the managers are good and the Registered Manager is brilliant'. In addition, a parent stated 'I can't speak highly enough of the home', demonstrating the strong leadership and management. The Registered Manager is also supported by a highly effective management team, including assistant managers who support him to ensure that the care in the home is of a very high quality. Effective monitoring by the manager has taken place in the home, which helps to make sure that the young people make progress. Some areas of monitoring are very robust, in that the information is scrutinised for patterns and trends, shared with the management team and shared with staff to promote good practice. This monitoring helps to measure the progress that young people are making, ensuring that young people experience positive outcomes in many areas of their lives. In addition, the organisation has completed their own inspection visits

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Leadership and management good

The quality of records in the home is exceptionally good; for example care plans and risk assessments are excellent. An extremely full picture can be established of all events relating to young people and records are easily accessible, well set out and the reader can see at a glance what happened and when. This ensures that the monitoring in the home can be robust. Also, should young people wish to look back on or read their records, they will be able to see clearly what happened and when. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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