Children's Home run by Derby City Council in Derby

Unique reference number SC036019 Inspector Rosemary Chapman Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Derby City Council Registered person address Treasurers Department Council House, Corporation Street DERBY DE1 2FE Responsible individual Rodney Leopold Jones Registered manager Elaine Fitchett / Paul Whitehouse Date of last inspection 07/05/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 05/12/2014

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

Since the last inspection in May the home has been through a period of change. A number of young people have recently made successful transitions to independent living, and as a result, some of the current young people placed at the home have not lived here for very long and have different needs and behaviours. This, together with the building work in the grounds, has contributed to the home being less settled than previously. Despite this, the manager and staff have worked well together to ensure that the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people remain good.

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This inspection

Most young people are making at least good progress and their outcomes and experiences are positive. For example, some young people have excellent attendance at school or college and are attaining well, which is likely to improve their future life chances. They develop good skills for independent living and are supported with their transition to either adult services or independence. Young people's health needs are met because the looked after nurse monitors this through regular medicals, and they access appropriate services, including those which assist with drug and alcohol misuse. Those young people with emotional or psychological needs are referred to appropriate resources.

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This inspection

Young people are encouraged to engage with leisure pursuits such as army cadets, skateboarding and football as well as maintaining contact with family and friends. This helps them build relationships, promotes their social skills and improves their engagement with the community. Young people develop good relationships with staff, and once they leave the home, some keep in touch and are invited back for Christmas dinner. Young people say things like, 'It's cool here', 'Staff are really nice', and, 'They are willing to help a lot'. Some young people in the early stages of placement have not yet engaged with education, and some are having a negative impact on the experiences of other young people. The manager is fully aware of this 3 of 6 and it is being addressed.

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This inspection

The home works effectively with a number of partner agencies to promote young people's positive outcomes. For example, if education is an issue, staff robustly challenge stakeholders to ensure the young people receive their entitlement to education provision. Children's social workers comment very positively about the staff at the home. They say, 'Communication is excellent', 'We work well together', 'Staff go over and above', and, 'The staff have been ever so good'. This evidences that young people experience consistent support. Other stakeholders who are actively involved include the local child and adolescent mental health service, the clinical psychologist, independent visitors, the enhanced care project, the local authority designated officer and adult services. Effective partnership working promotes good outcomes as it ensures that a multidisciplinary approach is used to access all the relevant services.

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This inspection

There are thorough and effective systems for monitoring the service to drive improvement and ensure good practice. The Registered Manager has oversight of, and responsibility for, both units. Oversight is maintained through various mechanisms, including supervision of the unit managers, audit of records and internal monitoring. The Registered Manager demonstrates an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the young people in placement and their needs. She has identified areas where practice can be developed further, which includes the independent living tool and stakeholder consultation, and plans to address these areas are ongoing.

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This inspection

This home continues to keep young people safe through its robust safeguarding procedures which are implemented effectively. Staff have a very good understanding of child sexual exploitation (CSE) because a number of staff are CSE champions and disseminate their knowledge to the rest of the staff team. The manager has good links with the strategic lead for CSE, and staff play a role in developing awareness of this issue throughout the local authority. For example, the council is staging a thought-provoking drama production in every secondary school to increase awareness among young people. The CSE champions play a significant role in this by their presence at the schools, their observation of the audience and their availability for support afterwards. Behaviour is well managed through well-thought- out behaviour management strategies, risk assessments and care planning. Physical intervention, when used, is rigorously monitored and the debriefings are very

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This inspection

comprehensive to ensure any learning is implemented to improve practice.

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This inspection

The home had no requirements or recommendations raised at the previous inspection. However, a major development is the rebuilding of the home into two separate premises which offer much improved accommodation, including en-suite bedrooms. Young people have been consulted throughout, and the homes are likely to be completed early in 2015. This, and ensuring managers and staff are fully aware of and consulted about the proposed changes in regulations and standards, have been areas where senior managers have concentrated their efforts. As yet the 4 of 6 impact from this cannot be judged. 5 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children's home which may accommodate up to 15 children and young people in three separate units, with five children in each unit. The service provides care and accommodation for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. An enhanced care project, which the children and young people can utilise, operates from the same site.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/05/2014 Full good 05/12/2013 Interim good progress 03/06/2013 Full good 21/02/2013 Interim good progress Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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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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