Children's Home run by Derbyshire County Council in Derbyshire

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

Experience and Progress  Young people are nurtured and valued. Over time, they develop strong relationships and attachments with the staff team. This enables young people to feel secure and safe.  Young people experience care from a cohesive and dedicated staff team who provide consistency and stability. Staff work exceptionally hard to ensure young people receive effective education, healthcare and therapeutic support to reflect their individual needs.  Young people have highly positive views about their care, the staff and the home. All young people said that they benefit from their placement and the support they are given. Leadership, management and staffing arrangements  The leadership and management of this home is highly effective. The registered manager provides support and clear leadership to a committed and knowledgeable staff team. Management arrangements are further enhanced through the work of an experienced deputy manager.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff team are well established, supervised, appropriately trained and experienced. They are dedicated to provide good quality care to all young people, regardless of the challenges they pose.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

i. assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; ii. help each child to understand how to keep safe; iv. manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; vi. take effective action whenever there is a serious concerns about a child’s welfare. 14/08/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person should, with particular regard to ensuring compatibility of children and young people:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a) ensure that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the homes statement of purpose. 14/08/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. This specifically relates to ensuring that the statements outlining complaints procedures are followed. (Regulation 16 (5)) 14/08/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:

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Recommendations

Ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 4, paragraph 9.30)

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Information about this children's home

This registered children's home is operated by a local authority to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

18/02/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

04/03/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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Good

The experiences and progress of young people in this home are good, despite a brief period, where some young people were unsettled. Young people confirm that throughout this period, they were fully supported by the management and staff team.

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Good

The essence of this home is that it is very much like a family home. Comments from professionals continually refer to this home as being a family environment. One social worker said ‘It would be great if all homes could be like this!’ Staffing structures offer a range of age, gender and role models. In addition to the care staff, a housekeeper ensures the home is in good order. She is a driving force in providing a welcoming and comfortable home and garden for young people. Young people living here are nurtured and valued.

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Good

Young people grow and develop within this home. Positive relationships with staff enable them to form attachments. This means young people feel sufficiently secure to explore their self-identity and build resilience. One young person said, ‘staff always support and listen to you. You can go to them with any problem and they sort it.’ A social worker said, ‘staff are very good. They are positive, nurturing and supportive. They have been a positive influence on the young person and made a difference.’

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Good

The home accommodates young people who are approaching leaving school or are in work based training or college. There are challenges in encouraging young people to continue with their studies or training, especially where they have a history of poor engagement with education. Staff are persistent in promoting the education of all young people. Educational achievement and attendance are supported, with the provision of bespoke educational packages. Some young people progress to successful study in college and other young people benefit from creative vocational and functional skills education packages. Individual needs and interests are identified in these educational programmes, which mean young people are motivated to study, therefore they engage and learn.

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Good

Staff encourage young people to engage in activities suited to individual choice and interests. Not all young people enjoy structured activities and prefer to meet with friends and family outside of the home. Others enjoy the company of staff and participate in activities with them. Young people benefit from holidays that meet their personal interests. At the time of the inspection, two young people were enjoying a fishing holiday with staff. The choice of activities enables them to build their confidence and social skills.

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Good

Arrangements to support young people to develop their independence skills are highly effective. They develop these in line with their age and understanding. One young person has been successfully managing the homes weekly food budget. He has done this so well that money saved mean that young people can enjoy a ‘takeaway supper’ once a week. Support and guidance from staff, combined with effective assessment, prepares young people to live independently. They develop confidence, practical experience and knowledge. When young people are preparing to make the move to their own accommodation, partnership work with a range of agencies ensures young people have successful transitions. Upon leaving the home, staff continue to provide outreach support to young people to enable them to adjust to their independence.

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Good

Contact arrangements with family, friends and significant people are promoted. This is in accordance with individual care plans and for the benefit of the young people. This means young people have retained their sense of heritage. In some cases, relationships have improved to such an extent that young people have made a choice to return to live with family members.

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Requires improvement

Safeguarding is a priority of the manager and staff. They have a clear understanding of safeguarding issues and consistently review safe working practices to help them meet individual young people’s needs. Staff have relevant safeguarding training and experience in caring for vulnerable young people. These combined factors mean that young people benefit from care provision from an experienced and knowledgeable team.

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Requires improvement

Initial admissions processes have resulted in a placement that did not fully consider the compatibility needs of all young people. These processes also failed to consider the specific safeguarding concerns of a young person. The local authority’s Placement Matching Panel and senior managers disregarded a recommendation from a professional that this would be an unsuitable placement for a young person.

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Requires improvement

Upon admission to the home, internal placement planning arrangements are generally good. Plans are comprehensive and demonstrate good partnership work with external agencies. Despite these plans, the staff were not able to safeguard this young person effectively. This was an isolated issue and is not common practice within this home. Staffing levels are consistent and provide good levels of monitoring and support. Regardless of these arrangements, there has been an incident where a resident assaulted another young person. Staff immediately addressed this issue and all young people report that the situation was well managed and resolved. Young people report that they now feel safe and feel fully protected by staff.

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection, there have been incidents of young people who have been missing from care. Staff are effective in working with the police and safeguarding agencies to ensure young people are located and safely returned to the home. Staff follow the local authorities Runaway and Missing from Home and Care protocols (RMFHC), but have omitted to ensure that young people are provided with ‘return interviews’ as stated in the guidance. This means opportunities for gathering valuable information about the reasons for young people leaving are missed.

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Requires improvement

Some young people are known to smoke cannabis. Staff explore these issues with individuals and provide advice and guidance to enable them to understand risks and access support when required. Although this issue frustrates the managers and staff, they have not taken sufficiently robust action to address the problem. This means that young people are not effectively protected from the risks associated with drug use.

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Requires improvement

There have been no physical interventions within this home for several years. All staff are suitably trained to undertake any physical intervention should the need arise. Behaviour management strategies are effective in minimising unwanted behaviours. The statement of purpose outlines, ‘we endeavour to implement a strategy of non-punitive measures, where good behaviour is rewarded and negative behaviour is shown to carry consequences.’ Young people confirm that this is the case, with incentives used to promote achievements and restorative approaches used to deter negative behaviours.

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Requires improvement

The safety of young people, staff and visitors within the home is prioritised. Detailed and regularly reviewed risk assessments cover all aspects of daily living. The home has a continual programme of maintenance, which ensures timely repair and remedial work. Health and safety checks, fire equipment checks, environmental risk assessments and regular evacuation practices ensure young people are safe.

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Good

The manager became registered for this home in February 2010. He has a National Vocational Qualification at Level 4 in Health and Social Care and NVQ Level 4 Residential Child Care Management. This means he has suitable qualifications for his role. He is well supported by a deputy manager. The deputy manager is advancing his professional qualifications with his studies on the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership in Health and Social Care. Both managers have significant experience of residential childcare within the public sector. Consequently, this home benefits from a suitably qualified and experienced management team.

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Good

The registered manager has successfully addressed the shortfall from the previous inspection. The interior of the home is clean, smart and well maintained. The home is currently undergoing a process of extensive renovation, which includes redecoration, carpeting, new bathrooms and a new kitchen. The exterior of the home benefits from a colourful and well-maintained garden. It is decorated with colourful hanging baskets and container plants. This provides an overall inviting and vibrant impression of the home.

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Good

The staff team are exceptionally committed and skilled in their roles. The staff team are cohesive and well established, with many staff having worked in the home for several years. The management team ensure that staff benefit from regularly refreshed mandatory training and in undertaking specialist training, such as self-harm and child sexual exploitation. This means young people benefit from high care standards delivered by a staff team who understand their individual needs.

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Good

Supervision arrangements are consistent with staff having regular supervision, appraisals and team meetings. In addition to the staff team meetings, they have routine reflective supervision sessions with a clinical psychologist. The professional and clinical supervision of staff means young people receive care from a well- supported and knowledgeable team.

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Good

The statement of purpose provides a guide to parents and placing authorities about the aims and objectives of the home and care provided. However, the home has not fully operated in line with these. Young people have experienced conflict with other residents and verbally expressed concerns to staff. Staff and managers have supported young people with these concerns but have failed to record these as complaints, as described in the statement of purpose.

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Good

The management team have developed very effective partnerships with external agencies and social work professionals. One social worker commented, ‘this is one of our best homes.’ Another professional said ‘I have worked for the authority for ten years… during this time I have felt this home raises the aspirations of our young people in care, providing person centred packages and signposting where relevant.’ An independent reviewing officer said, ‘I experience staff as being pro- active and child-focussed when it comes to getting things sorted.’ These comments provide firm evidence to suggest that the home has a strong reputation in providing high standards for young people in care. Case records and files are of a high quality. They are up to date, comprehensive and reflect the daily lives of the young people. The quality of administrative processes and recording is greatly enhanced with the input of the homes business

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Good

services assistant who organises systems within the staff office.

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Good

The shortfalls identified within this inspection are due to isolated areas of weakness in practice and not widespread failures. The registered manager is clear about what action to take and he and senior managers have detailed plans to promote improvement.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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