Children's Home run by Nottingham City Council in Nottingham

Unique reference number SC034900 Inspector Caroline Brailsford Type of inspection Interim 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 15/09/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 27/03/2015

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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

This setting continues to provide an exceptional quality of care to young people who enjoy their short break and make significant individual progress.

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This inspection

The two requirements and two recommendations set at the last inspection have all been met, showing that the home has improved further. All significant events are now well considered to ensure that the correct agencies are informed. Good partnership working ensures that other professionals have up-to-date information to make important decisions at an early stage. One parent said, 'Staff are good at working with other professionals'. This joint working maximises young people's progress. There have been no notifications to Ofsted, however this reflects the fact that young people feel very settled and are safe in the home.

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This inspection

Staff supervision has improved and all staff now receive regular supervision, where they can discuss any issues they have. Their performance is fully monitored through these regular sessions, ensuring that they continue to have the capability and expertise to look after the young people.

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This inspection

The safeguarding procedure has been improved and it is now very clear to staff what they have to do if there is a safeguarding issue in the home. There is a new flow chart which is easy for staff to understand and is clear about actions that must be taken if such a concern comes to light. This new procedure will ensure that all staff know how to respond to a safeguarding issue, helping to protect young people and to keep them safe.

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This inspection

Improvements to the building have ensured that this home presents as homely, clean and tidy. The home and gardens are conducive to the supervision of young people. Resources and equipment is available to ensure that young people are kept busy and entertained. For example, young people were enjoying playing basketball 3 of 6 and were out on go-karts in the garden during the inspection.

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This inspection

Young people can access the community very regularly because they are accompanied by well qualified staff who understand their behaviours very well. They go to restaurants, parks and have new experiences which enrich their lives further. Young people come to realise what they are good at and what they enjoy. Staff are creative, energetic and have very high aspirations for young people with regard to their talents and interests. For example, they have organised for some young people to be engaged in a local art project, some have completed the North Nottinghamshire Bike Ride and some have been involved in a local group for young people in the community. Young people are regularly involved in the running of a local café, where they help and enjoy serving and getting to know people in the community.

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This inspection

The managers of the home has ensured that the young people’s outcomes continue to be considerable and that the leadership of the home continues to drive forward improvements. The managers establish high quality and creative quality assurance systems to hear and learn from the views of others. Recently a student social worker has been tasked with working with parents to establish their views, so that any relevant changes can be made and the service further enhanced. In addition, the manager's own quality assurance process captures the views of young people, parents and carers. Parents comments established through this process are very positive and include, ‘In my opinion Crocus Fields works like a magic place’. In addition another parent told Ofsted that the setting, ‘Has been a life-saver’. Parents feel that the setting helps them as a family as well as the young person. This support helps to prevent family crisis around the pressures of looking after a

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This inspection

Young people are always at the centre of developments in the home and their views are established. The development plan is creative and focused around young people’s needs. Through the development plan, young people have enjoyed a variety of changes and improvements. For example a ‘music man’ now comes regularly to the home to spend time with young people. A local football team also regularly visits and trains young people in their football skills. A newsletter has been developed so that young people’s achievements at Crocus Fields are celebrated and recognised by a wider audience. There is a clear focus on young people gaining new experiences and there have been outings to an England football match and ’Disney on Ice’. Also staff have organised a trip to the local bus station for a young person who is interested in buses.

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This inspection

Young people all say they feel happy to come to Crocus Fields and feel safe. Very positive relationships were observed between young people and staff and there was an atmosphere of fun in the home. Staff know the young people's needs exceptionally well and support them with their personal targets to make sure that they make good individual progress. 4 of 6 Staff prepare well for the young person arriving for their short break and appreciate that this could potentially cause stress and anxiety. They reduce this by joint working with parents, for example telephone calls to home to explain who is on duty and what activities are planned for their stay. This ensures that young people understand what is going to happen and as a result they are more able to cope well with the transition. One parent said that their young person is, ‘Much more tolerant for change,’ accrediting this to the work that staff do with young people around

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This inspection

When young people move on from Crocus Fields, managers ensure that as much preparation goes into the transition as possible. They seek opportunities to share information, take the young person to see their new environment and offer to do shadow shifts. All this ensures that the young person is supported to settle in as soon as possible.

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This inspection

There are no requirements or recommendations made as a result of this inspection 5 of 6

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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

15/09/2014 Full good 05/03/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 10/07/2013 Full good 14/03/2013 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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