Children's Home run by Derbyshire County Council in Derbyshire

Unique reference number SC035976 Inspector Amanda Ellis Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Derbyshire County Council Registered person address County Hall Matlock Derbyshire DE4 3AG

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Responsible individual Ian Johnson Registered manager Lesley Elizabeth Tong Date of last inspection 23/12/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 10/03/2015

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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 improved effectiveness .

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This inspection

Since the last full inspection in December 2014, the Registered Manager has demonstrated commitment to providing high quality care and improving the operation of the home.

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This inspection

The one recommendation identified at the last inspection was to ensure that staff and young people practised and were familiar with a fire safety emergency escape plan. Young people and staff confirm that they participate in regular fire drills and feel confident in safely evacuating the home when required. Fire safety evacuations are clearly recorded in fire logs. Records demonstrate efficient and safe evacuations.

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This inspection

The Registered Manager continues to ensure that the stable and skilled staff team benefit from high levels of support and training. The cohesive staff team participate in regular; supervisions, team meetings and team ‘away days’. Additionally all staff engage in a programme of training which ensures that their mandatory and additional training needs are met. The Deputy Manager is nearing completion of his Level 5 Diploma. This means the home benefits from a management and staff team who are proactive to promote their professional development and improve outcomes for young people.

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This inspection

Since the last inspection, there have been no new young people admitted to the home. In addition, no young people have left the home. The young people are settled and stable in their medium to long- term placements and benefit from a stable staff team. This means the routines of the home are established and young people receive consistent care from staff members who they know, respect and trust. One young person said ‘All of the staff are lovely, which is why I feel happy living here. This home really is a ‘home’!’

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This inspection

All young people have individualised education plans tailored to meet their needs 3 of 5 and preferences. Some young people attend mainstream schools and have exceptionally high attendance levels. Other young people undertake vocational training courses with planned progression to college. Overall, engagement in education improves because education plans are flexible and responsive to the needs of young people. This means that from their starting points most young people benefit from improved attendance and attainment.

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This inspection

Young people are supported to access relevant services to meet their physical, psychological and emotional needs. They receive prompt medical attention when they are ill and routine appointments ensure their physical health needs are met. Young people benefit from the input of therapeutic and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. This ensures the assessment and review of young people’s emotional and psychological well-being. This means young people benefit from comprehensive health care that promotes good health.

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This inspection

A significant improvement since the last inspection has been the reduction in safeguarding concerns and incidents. The management and staff team have been highly effective in ensuring young people are safe and protected from harm. Young people who previously had high levels of missing from care episodes and engaged in unsafe practices are now settled. This has meant that levels of safeguarding incidents are exceptionally low. This reflects the excellent quality of care and the safeguarding knowledge of the staff.

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This inspection

The manager has a development plan in place which is used to plan and monitor improvements to the home. Additionally, the management team routinely monitor the operation of the home and evaluate the effectiveness of care provision. Quality assurance processes are further supported by monthly visits to the home from an independent visitor who audits and appraises performance. These combined processes identify areas in need of improvement and outline action plans to implement change. This scrutiny ensures care standards are maintained and improved. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home is registered to a local authority. The home can accommodate up to four young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/12/2014 Full good 28/01/2014 Interim good progress 22/10/2013 Full good 20/09/2012 Interim satisfactory 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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