Children's Home run by Nottinghamshire County Council in Nottinghamshire

Unique reference number SC036726 Inspector Judith Longden Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Nottinghamshire County Council Registered person address Nottinghamshire County Council, County Hall Loughborough Road, West Bridgford NOTTINGHAM NG2 7QP Responsible individual Vonny Senogles Registered manager Robin Taylor Date of last inspection 10/12/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 24/03/2015

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

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This inspection

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

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This inspection

This home has made a number of improvements and has met the five requirements and two recommendations made at the last inspection. This has resulted in more effective quality of care, better outcomes for children and young people and efficient systems for monitoring the home.

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This inspection

The Statement of Purpose has been updated and now provides all the required information to inform parents and stakeholders of the service provided. This has been submitted to Ofsted as required.

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This inspection

The procedures for planning potential placements are thorough and the Registered Manager is committed to ensuring that children and young people placed in this home can effectively have their needs met. Children and young people who are new to the home are made to feel welcome and benefit from pre-placement visits. Those who have moved on from the home have been supported by staff and some have been accompanied to their new placement despite the very long distances involved. Staff work hard to advocate for children and young people and to support parents who are anxious about future plans and ensure they are provided with all the relevant information in order to make the transition as smooth as possible.

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This inspection

The home appears welcoming with a number of pictures and photographs displayed on the corridor walls. Children and young people who are residential are able to personalise their bedrooms and those on short breaks are involved in choosing their rooms during their stays.

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This inspection

The Registered Manager has forged good links with the missing from home coordinator. All the relevant information about the home, children and young people has been shared in order to keep them safe. The home’s procedures and protocols 3 of 6 for missing from home are detailed and make reference to the local authority and police protocols. This means staff and other agencies are consistent in their approach to keeping children and young people safe in the event of any incidence of missing or unauthorised absence.

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This inspection

The manager utilises a range of processes to ensure the effective monitoring of the home. Internal quality assurance checks are carried out regularly. The reports resulting from these checks are sent to Ofsted as required. This enables the regulator to review the care provided by the home. The manager and his senior team review all incidents of physical intervention and identify any patterns and trends. Sanctions are also reviewed and monitored to ensure they are effective. There is a very effective system to record all marks, bruises and injuries, including self-harm. These are recorded and reviewed on a daily basis to ensure any issues are highlighted and action is taken to address any concerns. This helps to keep children and young people safe.

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This inspection

Staff receive regular supervision to ensure they are supported in their work with children and young people. Supervision records and staff files are routinely audited to ensure staff continue to receive appropriate supervision. There has been a complete review of the recording format for training. This now provides a clear record of all the training staff have undertaken and enables the manager to identify where further training is required. Staff benefit from a variety of courses provided internally and externally. Staff have completed further safeguarding training to ensure they are aware of current issues, such as sexual exploitation. Staff are encouraged to share their knowledge with the team. For example one member of staff is researching diet in relation to autism and has been asked to present a workshop on their findings to all staff, including the cooks. This ensures staff receive relevant and up to date training to meet the needs of children and young people.

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This inspection

There are no requirements or recommendations made as a result of this inspection.

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This inspection

A key strength of this home is the good, strong and committed staff team. At the time of the previous inspection there had been some placement changes which had a negative impact on some children and young people. Since then the staff have been able to reflect on the positive work they were able to provide during this time, as well as recognising they did not have the sufficient skills to promote positive outcomes for some children and young people. This means staff are keen to learn, improve and help children and young people to make progress in their lives.

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This inspection

Participation in the home is encouraged through a range of creative methods, including the use of photo journals and ‘wishes and feelings’ booklets. These provide an individualised record of the activities children and young people take part in and their views on the care provided. As a result, they are involved in their care.

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This inspection

Children and young people enjoy a good range of activities and some have recently been on a holiday with staff. This has provided exciting, new experiences for them. 4 of 6 Some children have formed good friendships when accessing short breaks and staff work hard to promote these friendships outside of the home by identifying contact opportunities and supporting them to meet. This encourages peer interaction and increases their social skills. Staff work well with parents and communication is very effective. This helps to promote consistent approaches to the care and behaviour management of children and young people and consequently improve their outcomes. One family wrote to the home saying, ‘you all do a wonderful job and make the world a much nicer place.’

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This inspection

The manager has prepared an excellent development plan that reflects on the last inspection, the action taken and details how the home will continue to develop and move forward in order to improve the service for children and young people. 5 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

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.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2014 Full adequate 24/03/2014 Interim good progress 27/11/2013 Full outstanding 06/03/2013 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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