Children's Home run by Lincolnshire County Council in Lincolnshire

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 Most young people either do not have educational provision in place or are not accessing it at present. For some young people this has resulted in them being out of formal education for some considerable time. A lack of structure during the school day has resulted in some young people increasingly engaging in anti-social and criminal activities in the local community. This does not improve their experiences or potential to achieve in later life.  Records relating to young people do not consistently reflect their current needs. Placement and care plans for some young people have not been reviewed or updated for some considerable time. Assessments of all known or potential risks posed by or to young people are not always recorded. This undermines staff and managers‟ ability to ensure that the necessary care and support is in place for all young people.  Due to the non-attendance in education of several young people, staff have

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because:

not routinely been able to attend planned training and development events. They have also not had regular formal supervision provided each month. This is due to the need for staff to be working in the home. This has a detrimental impact on the support and training opportunities provided for staff.  Advocacy support has not been provided for those young people who experience issues in relation to education and where their individual needs are not being met, either by the placing authority or other professionals. This would provide young people with independent support and scrutiny of how their needs should be met.  For those young people who go missing from the home, independent return interviews have not consistently been carried out. Information from such interviews has not been shared with managers. This reduces the ability of managers to assess risks or to put in place arrangements to protect some

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The children's home strengths

 Young people receive care and support from a very dedicated and committed staff team, several of whom have worked at this home for a considerable length of time. Staff clearly know the young people very well and respond to them in a very sensitive and caring manner.  Practice in this children‟s home is underpinned by a clear and commendable focus on research and uses national and internal research methods to inform the care and support provided to young people. Staff have undertaken additional therapeutic skills training, in order to be able to offer comprehensive support to young people.  Staff and managers have formed very close and positive working relationships with a wide range of professionals and agencies, in order to support young people. There is very close and proactive work undertaken with the local police, with one police officer stating: „The staff and managers work very closely and positively with us, in order that we can support and

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The children's home strengths

work with young people. They contact us appropriately and we work as a team to try and prevent young people from becoming involved in the criminal justice system.‟

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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 ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development and receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 31/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)) 31/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

(2) In order to meet the education standard the registered person must ensure

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Requirement Due date

(viii) help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. 31/12/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that local authorities have in place Runaway and Missing from Home and Care (RMFHC) protocols agreed with local police and other partners, which are agreed and reviewed regularly with all agencies and scrutinised by the Local Safeguarding Children's Board. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 45, paragraph 9.23)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person only accepts placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child's assessed needs as recorded in the child's relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child's needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home challenges them to meet the child's needs. The registered person should consider the use of an independent advocate if the child's needs are not being met. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 12, paragraph 2.8)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed with the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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 provides 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 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and that the registered person understands the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the planning of staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 54, paragraph 10.15)

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Information about this children's home

This local authority owned and run children‟s home is registered for seven children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement

Several young people do not currently have formal educational provisions in place, or refuse to attend. For those with home tuition in place, there is very limited engagement. Managers and staff have challenged education providers and professionals in considering the education needs of young people, with limited success to date. Several young people have not been attending formal education for some considerable time now, which is having an adverse impact on their learning and future prospects.

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requires improvement

Young people do not have clear or structured plans in place for when they are not attending formal education, or where they refuse to engage with home tuition. This undermines their ability to learn or to develop and reduces their potential to do well when they move on from this home. It also places additional pressure on staff, in needing to occupy young people who should be in formal education outside of the home.

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requires improvement

Some young people have become increasingly involved in anti-social and criminal behaviours in the local community. Close working relationships with the staff, local police and youth offending services exists, but some young people continue to spend large amounts of time outside of the home and engage in concerning and risk-taking behaviours.

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requires improvement

The behaviours of some young people have had a negative impact recently on other young people living in this home. One young person stated: „I just wish that the police did not come to the home every day.‟ Another young person stated their frustration at other young people‟s anti-social behaviours within the home, impacting on their privacy and need for personal space.

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requires improvement

Some placement and care plans for young people do not reflect their current or changing needs and present as very out of date. Actual or potential risks for some young people have not been incorporated into their placement plans and there is a lack of clarity as to how safeguarding concerns will be assessed or managed on a day to day basis for them. This could impact on staff member‟s ability to ensure the safety and wellbeing of young people at all times. There has been no adverse impact as a result of this shortfall to date.

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requires improvement

Staff offer and provide a range of social activities and opportunities for young people. These include holidays to the local seaside, trips out and use of local community resources. Due to current police or court imposed curfews for some young people, their ability to engage in a wider range of social opportunities is somewhat restricted. Staff diligently try and elicit from young people what they like to do and use imaginative practices to try and support their learning and social opportunities. This includes playing board games with them in the home and encouraging them to assist staff in decorating and minor repair works around the home. This promotes a sense of pride in their home and teaches young people to respect their belongings and environment more.

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requires improvement

Some young people now manage their own finances and take personal responsibility for food shopping and preparing their own meals. Staff provide them with their own fridge, in order that they can store their own food. Young people learn skills, which will assist them when they make the move from this home to independent or supported accommodation. One young person stated: „I have learned how to manage my own money, buy and make my own food, which is really good.‟ Staff also fully support young people to consider their options for moving on from this home. This includes making visits to potential accommodation and assisting young people to make the practical and emotional preparations for their move. This reflects staff member‟s commitment and dedication to ensuring that all young people have a positive and well-planned move from the home.

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requires improvement

Young people generally enjoy good health, with staff fully supporting their health care needs. Specialist health care provision has been sourced in a very timely manner and some staff have also undertaken additional therapeutic training. This enables young people to consider their emotional and psychological needs, and has assisted them in overcoming issues which may have adversely impacted on their ability to make progress in all areas of their lives. The role of the key worker for young people is key to the progress that some young people have made, in relation to their more complex emotional health care needs. Young people form trusting relationships with staff and clearly benefit from their support and dedication.

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requires improvement

Young people enjoy regular contact with family members and others, fully supported by the staff team. Family members praise staff and managers for promoting and supporting contact. One family member stated: „I cannot fault the staff. They support us to see our child, they keep me up to date on all relevant matters and they make me feel part of my child‟s life all the time.‟

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requires improvement

Young people report feeling able to raise any concerns they may have with staff and managers and in having confidence that their concerns will be taken seriously. Some young people currently feel frustrated by the actions and behaviours of other young people living in this home. There is a zero tolerance policy in relation to bullying, with work being done to reduce and eradicate such behaviours. This is positive and reflects the staff team commitment to ensuring that all young people feel safe and able to raise any issues they may have.

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requires improvement

Some young people continue to place themselves and others at risk, due to their anti-social and criminal behaviours. Managers work closely with local police, the placing authority and other agencies to try and resolve these issues, with limited success. Records for young people do not include detailed or specific risk assessments for more recent concerning behaviours, which could undermine staff‟s ability to keep them safe or prevent them causing harm to others, either within the home or in the community.

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requires improvement

When young people go missing from the home, independent return interviews do not routinely take place. There has been a significant increase in the number of missing from care and unauthorised absences from this home since the last inspection. Joint missing from care procedures have not been updated to clearly set out the return interview processes for young people who have been missing from care. There is a lack of clarity for staff and managers as to when such interviews have been done and no information provided to managers currently from the return interviews undertaken. This prevents managers from having a clear oversight and ability to monitor and analyse information on young people and their patterns of missing from care.

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requires improvement

Recent matching of young people moving to this home has not been robust. Some young people have been admitted to the home on an emergency basis and others without clear education plans in place and known histories of concerning behaviours. This has led to tensions between young people and additional pressure on staff to try and support their complex and often, challenging needs. A lack of clear consideration of the educational provisions and needs of some young people, has led to new admissions of young people with no formal education in place. This increases the pressures on staff to support young people during the school day within the home and the potential for some young people to further engage in unacceptable behaviours in the community.

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requires improvement

Close working relationships exist between staff, managers and local police. Regular visits are made by local police officers to the home, to offer support to both young people and the staff team. Due to a recent increase in anti-social and criminal behaviours, police involvement and contact with this home has increased. Police report a positive and appropriate relationship with the staff team, but it is of concern that their involvement has not led to a decrease in concerning behaviours of young people. It is also of concern that for some young people, who are not involved in such behaviours, they feel the stigma of having such regular visits by the police to the home. Judgement grade

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requires improvement

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager, who has been in post for several years. The staff team comprises of several members who have worked in this home for a number of years. This provides consistency and continuity of care for young people living in this home.

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requires improvement

The home currently has one staff vacancy, with the hours being covered by other permanent or relief members of staff. Due to the fact that several young people are not engaged in education at present and in the home during the school day, additional pressure has been placed on staff, as they need to support and supervise them for longer periods than usual. Some staff work long shift patterns during the day, with some then remaining on through the night on sleep-in duties. Due to some young people demonstrating unsettled behaviours during the night and not settling to bed, staff report feeling routinely tired, through having to support and manage some young people‟s behaviours.

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requires improvement

The need for staff to support those young people not engaged in formal education has also had a detrimental impact on staff member‟s ability to attend training and development opportunities in recent months. Due to the need for higher staffing ratios in the home, several staff have had to cancel their attendance on training in order to work shifts in the home. This undermines their ability to undertake continuing professional development. Additional resources and support are needed, in order to ensure that permanent staff members can access and attend agreed training and development opportunities.

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requires improvement

Several staff and managers have also not received formal supervision at the agreed timescales. This again, is attributable to the pressures of needing to support young people during the school day within the home. It is commendable that both staff and managers place the needs of young people first at all times, but this has an adverse impact on their learning and professional support needs being met.

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requires improvement

Care and placement plans for some young people do not reflect their current needs and how they are or will be met. There is insufficient evidence of records for young people being considered by managers to ensure that plans reflect the needs and risks. Young people participate in their reviews with staff support and their records reflect their inclusion and decisions made. Better and more robust management oversight is needed in relation to ensuring that any decisions and actions from review meetings have been acted upon by relevant professionals. This includes ensuring that placement and care plans from the placing authority have been updated and amended, as some young people‟s plans are now significantly out of date.

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requires improvement

Managers have worked closely with education professionals, to try and resolve the various issues for young people living in this home. To date, this has had very limited positive impact, with several young people remaining out of education and no clear plans in place to resolve the issues. There is evidence of the registered manager‟s attempts to escalate his concerns, but this has not as yet, led to positive outcomes for young people in relation to ensuring that their educational needs are met.

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requires improvement

Managers demonstrate an awareness and understanding of the current areas of concern and issues preventing some young people from making good progress. Regular meetings have taken place to consider the holistic needs of the young people, often at the request of the registered manager. Despite this, progress has been minimal for some young people, with both managers and other agencies reporting concern about the ability of staff to ensure the safety and wellbeing of some young people in the longer-term. There are now clearer plans in place to address the concerns and issues, and no adverse impact on young people at present from the identified shortfalls.

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requires improvement

One requirement and two recommendations were made following the previous inspection. The registered manager has now put in place clearer systems for the recording and monitoring of all incidents involving young people. Vetting and recruitment checks for volunteers working in the home have been improved and provide evidence of secure and robust vetting checks being done. Managers monitor records kept by the home to ensure compliance with the home‟s policies. The final recommendation has been met, but additional requirements and recommendations have been made as a result of this inspection, to further address shortfalls in relation to case records and monitoring.

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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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