Children's Home run by Derby City Council in Derby

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:

 Children and young people are making good progress. They have excellent attendance at their educational provision and engage well. Their life skills are improving and they are becoming more independent and self-assured.  Children and young people have very positive experiences. They have friends in the community, they engage in a variety of leisure pursuits, and their religious and cultural needs are promoted well. Their confidence, identity and self-esteem are improved as a result of these experiences.  Staff are committed, caring and knowledgeable about the children’s and young people’s needs. Consequently, they provide good support, which has a positive impact on children’s and young people’s outcomes.  There are very positive relationships between staff, children and young people. They listen to each other and are respectful of each other’s views. The atmosphere in the home is relaxed and happy.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Children’s and young people’s behaviour is managed well. Comprehensive behaviour management plans provide staff with good guidance so that children and young people are responded to in a consistent way.  Children and young people become safer because staff understand their risky behaviour and engage with other professionals appropriately to protect them.  The home itself is a new purpose-built property which provides a spacious, well decorated and homely environment where children and young people can feel valued.  The manager provides good leadership. He is child-focused, aspirational and committed to support the children and young people in his care to the very highest standard. He is prepared to advocate for them and challenge other professionals where necessary.  Partnership working with other stakeholders is good. Staff also develop very positive relationships with families to support contact arrangements and placement

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The children's home provision is good because:

back at home.  Two shortfalls have been identified. The manager has not consistently notified Ofsted when a serious event has occurred. Additionally, when children and young people have returned from unauthorised absences, they have not always had a return interview conducted by an independent person. The manager is not able to demonstrate that he has pursued this robustly.

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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

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if any of the events in this regulation occur. (Regulation 40(4)(a-e)) 30/10/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Ensure any child who returns to the home after being missing or away from the home without permission is provided with the opportunity to have an independent return home interview, and that this information is taken into account when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Information about this children's home

This local authority children’s home is registered for five children or young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It has become recently registered in its own right, but was previously part of a neighbouring home’s registration.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

This is the first inspection since registration.

p.5

good

Children and young people receive high quality care based on their individual needs. A young person’s social worker commented: ‘They are really good at treating children differently to meet their needs.’ The relationships between staff, children and young people are based on mutual respect. Staff are caring, committed, have a good understanding of each child’s or young person’s needs and have aspirations for them to achieve as much as possible. A social worker said: ‘They push him to do things and support him.’ Consequently, they thrive, have positive experiences, develop positive attachments to staff and are happy.

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good

Children and young people make good progress. All have excellent school attendance, some being 100%. They are engaging well with their educational provision. One education provider said of a young person: ‘He is a major success story.’ Young people, for whom English is not their first language, have made enormous strides in their understanding and delivery of this. Others are on target to achieve grades Bs and Cs in their GCSEs. They are making progress over and above what is expected, given their base line.

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good

Health needs, both physical and psychological are well supported. Children and young people have been encouraged to access medical care, despite their reluctance, and as a result, they are receiving appropriate attention for their healthcare needs. Young people are accessing appropriate psychological support as well as services which specialise in drug and alcohol misuse. They are therefore provided with expert information and support, to make informed decisions about their lifestyle choices.

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good

Staff work positively and proactively with families to promote positive contact, sustain relationships, and in some cases, effect a return home. A social worker said of staff: ‘They have a fantastic relationship with the birth mum’, and another said, ‘They are bending over backwards to support the placement at home.’ This enables children and young people to retain their identity and have a positive view of themselves.

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good

Another strength of this home is the emphasis staff place on facilitating children’s and young people’s experiences, both in the home and in the community. Young people are members of community-based football clubs, they have season tickets to the local championship football team, they attend army cadets, they go to the cinema, they swim and they have holidays. They also have friends in the community. Their religious and cultural needs are well met. They are supported to go to the Mosque and Gurdwara, staff are fully aware of, and support festivals and important calendar events, and their dietary needs are adhered to. Consequently, they feel valued, their positive view of their identity is sustained, and they have a good time. One social worker said: ‘This is the most positive placement he has had.’

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good

Children and young people are involved in their care planning and in how the home is run. They participate in formulating a child-friendly version of their placement plan which identifies key areas to work on. They attend reviews and are encouraged to participate. They had a large say in the move to the new building, including choosing their bedrooms and colour schemes. They have developed good negotiation skills as a result of this. For example, one young person was very keen to have a well-known sports and movie package on the television. He was able to persuade the service manager and manager that this was a good idea, and it was purchased. He was very proud of his achievement but did say, ‘it involved a lot of work!’

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good

Young people are well supported when they leave the home, and maintain contact with the staff if they choose to. One former resident was visiting the home during this inspection and commented very positively about how she was prepared to move on. She said, ‘they helped me a lot’, and when asked what was best about the home replied, ‘I have so many good memories.’ Young people follow an independent living skills programme so that staff are assured about their abilities to manage independently. Emotional resilience is being built into this programme, as the service manager recognises this is an important area.

p.7

good

The manager and staff demonstrate a robust understanding of the potential and actual risks which vulnerable children and young people face. This includes sexual exploitation, radicalisation, drug and alcohol misuse, and self-harm. Currently none of the children or young people are assessed as being at risk of sexual exploitation, although their knowledge of this issue is very well developed, the home has a child sexual exploitation champion, and all staff are aware of the signs to look for. Staff are vigilant and do not underestimate the impact of the vulnerabilities on the potential for being exploited in any way. This awareness promotes children’s and young people’s well-being and keeps them safer.

p.7

good

There has been a decrease in the incidents of children and young people being both missing and having unauthorised absences, which further promotes their safety. The staff and manager respond to these incidents appropriately, in that they contact known associates, they search the area, they follow the protocol, and they welcome them back. However, very few such incidents have been followed up with a return home interview carried out by someone independent of the home. Although this is not the responsibility of the home, there is little evidence to demonstrate that the manager has been robust in his attempts to facilitate such interviews, which are important to ensure the reasons for the absence are fully explored.

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good

Behaviour is well managed and results in children and young people being less challenging and aggressive over time. The behaviour support plans are comprehensive and place a large emphasis on preventing issues by clearly identifying triggers and ways to deflect and distract. They give clear guidance to staff on how to manage behaviour so that everyone is consistent. Incidents of physical intervention are appropriately recorded and monitored to ensure lessons are learnt for the future. Sanctions are rare and appropriate, but the ethos of the home is to work on incentives to improve behaviour rather than to punish.

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good

Staff have a good understanding of self-harm. They have been trained in the use of ligature cutters, and there is appropriate guidance about their use. They understand the triggers which may lead to young people trying to self-harm and are therefore proactive in monitoring and preventing incidents.

p.8

good

The home has good relationships with partner agencies involved in the protection of children, such as the police, drug and alcohol misuse services and the local authority designated officer (LADO). The manager and staff have a good understanding of when to involve the LADO, and the police are regular visitors to the home. An agency which deals with drug and alcohol misuse is engaged with a young person on a regular basis to provide information and support to reduce this issue.

p.8

good

Safety is further promoted through staff recruitment. Although there have been no new staff, the local authority has robust procedures to ensure unsuitable adults do not have access to vulnerable children or young people.

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good

The premises are new, therefore servicing of equipment is not due. However, there are regular checks of fire equipment and evacuation practices which ensure children and young people are protected as far as possible from the risk of harm.

p.8

good

The home is led and managed effectively by an appropriately experienced registered manager who is currently undertaking the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare. One member of staff commented: ‘He is the best manager I have ever had.’ He is extremely child-focused, and the children and young people relate very well to him. He demonstrates a robust understanding of their progress because he is actively involved in their lives, for example, attending review meetings. There is an outcomes database which is also used to track progress and experiences. This, coupled with information from staff, regular professionals’ meetings, and his own knowledge, ensures children and young people do not drift.

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good

This home has only been operational since 1 July 2015, as there were some delays in its opening following registration. Prior to that, it formed part of another children’s home, so the registered manager and staff team have worked together, with most of the young people, for some time. The registered manager was formerly the unit manager, and he is embracing the new responsibilities of registration enthusiastically. He has clear ideas of how he wants the home to develop and knows its current shortfalls. He is well supported by the service manager and responsible individual to achieve these aims. The statement of purpose emphasises the importance of good relationships and role modelling, and this demonstrably forms part of the ethos of the home. The new building facilitates its operation as it provides a homely environment which is not institutional. It is purpose built, the quality of the accommodation is high, and it is very well

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good

decorated and furnished. Young people who lived in the previous home commented: ‘It’s 100% better.’

p.9

good

There is a stable and committed staff team who are well supported to enable them to deliver good quality care. Supervision is regular and reflective and poor practice is challenged robustly. All staff have the appropriate qualification, which is further enhanced by training in areas such as behaviour management and safeguarding. Staff have access to e-learning as well as face-to-face training, and there is a good quality relevant training programme to promote staff’s knowledge and competence.

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good

A strength of the home is its relationships with other professionals and families. Education providers said: ‘We have a good relationship with the home and they support us’, and, ‘the home is very accommodating and helpful.’ Social workers commented: ‘We have a fantastic working relationship’; ‘they support me massively; and ‘they go over and above.’ This ensures that all professionals are working consistently together to improve outcomes for the children and young people. Although there are good relationships, this does not prevent the manager from challenging and questioning other stakeholders where necessary. He has effectively challenged placements that have been inappropriate, when healthcare appointments have been cancelled and negotiated changes in the way education is provided. He is very clear that these children and young people deserve the very best. When serious incidents have arisen, although the manager has taken appropriate

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good

action to safeguard children and young people, he has not always notified Ofsted as required. Therefore although children’s and young people’s well-being has not been compromised, the regulator has not had the opportunity to monitor that the correct action has been taken.

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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

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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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