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 happy, settled and have positive experiences which enhance their life chances. Their outcomes improve and they make progress in many areas.  Relationships between staff, children and young people are very good. Staff know the children and young people well and are committed to promoting the best outcomes possible.  Children and young people feel safe and become safer as a result of staff intervention. Their behaviour improves, they are calmer and less angry and incidents of going missing or being absent without permission decrease.  The home has a child-focused ethos. Leaders and managers demonstrate drive and ambition to improve the service.  Partnership working is well developed. This ensures that all the relevant services are kept up to date and are engaged to provide appropriate and prompt support.  Relationships with parents are good. Staff are particularly skilled at

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The children's home provision is good because:

supporting parents, children and young people during their transition back to their family homes.  Shortfalls have been identified in relation to documentation and staff qualifications. Although these have not had a negative impact on the quality of the service, or the outcomes, progress and experiences of children and young people, they have the potential to do so if not rectified.

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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

Ensure that any individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification (Regulation 32 (4)). 21/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so, has spoken to the user about the measure, and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate, and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person, or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)). 27/05/2016

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that each child's case records include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3, are kept up to date and are signed by the author of each entry (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)). 27/05/2016

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Ensure that every effort is made so that the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for a child to have a return home interview after they have been missing from care or away from the home without permission. The home should take account of the information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child („Guide to the Children‟s Homes Regulations‟, page 45, paragraph 9.30).  Ensure that the workforce plan includes any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and is used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff, including the home's manager („Guide to the Children‟s Homes Regulations‟, page 53, paragraph 10.8).

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Information about this children's home

This local authority children‟s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for five children and 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

30 December 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

05 December 2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Children and young people make good progress and have positive experiences as a result of living in this home. They are happy, settled and enjoy good relationships with the staff. Very positive feedback from social workers, independent reviewing officers, parents and most importantly the children and young people themselves confirms this. One young person said, „It‟s really good‟, and another young person said, „There is nothing bad about living here.‟ According to one young person, the best thing about the home is „the staff‟. An independent reviewing officer commented, „Staff are doing a good job. They know him well and are very on the ball.‟ All the children and young people have made progress in a variety of areas. A social worker commented, „I feel the placement meets his needs. It is giving him the stability, routines and boundaries that he needs. His life has stabilised, he is safer and progressing in all aspects of his development.‟ Children and young

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Good

people are able to identify the progress that they have made. For example, one young person commented that he „got into less trouble‟ and went to school. Another young person felt their self-confidence had improved and said, „I am getting on a lot better here.‟ Another young person commented, „I can control my anger better.‟ All the children and young people have educational provision and attend well. For some, this is significant as they have previously been excluded or on „twilight timetables‟, whereas they now attend during usual school hours. The home works creatively to encourage children and young people to attend and achieve. For example, one young person works very well with an alternative education provider, so the school provides support to that provider to facilitate the young person taking his GCSEs there. A stakeholder said of a young person, „His attendance and punctuality have improved significantly.‟ Another young person who is not keen on

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Good

going to school said, „The staff talk me into going.‟ Children and young people are healthy. They are encouraged to eat well and take regular exercise. However, some misuse drugs and smoke, despite the staff and other agencies providing them with the necessary advice, guidance and support to encourage them to reduce or cease their use. Their emotional well-being is addressed through engagement with agencies that provide therapeutic support, as well as through individual work with staff at the home. Consequently, their social and coping skills improve. Children and young people feel listened to. They are consulted about their day-to- day care, and feel that staff are genuinely interested in their well-being. One young person said, „There is always someone there. They help out a lot.‟ Another young person echoed this by saying, „The staff are good; they spend lots of time with me. There is always someone here I can talk to.‟ A stakeholder commented, „It has

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Good

been a really positive experience for him. He feels valued and listened to. He is getting the support and attention he was not getting before and he seems so much happier.‟ Staff also support children and young people to attend and contribute to their reviews, so that they can influence their longer-term plans. An independent reviewing officer commented, „Staff prepared him well for his first ever review, and as a result, he attended and contributed confidently.‟ Children and young people enjoy the wide variety of activities and say, „The staff take us out places.‟ They play pool and snooker, support a local championship football team, go to the cinema, spend time with friends and have trips out. Staff take a real interest in supporting emerging talents, and children and young people benefit enormously from the positive attention. The home manages transitions well. All children and young people have an

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Good

independent living programme which starts when they enter the home. This covers both practical and emotional skills for independent living once they leave the home. Staff are particularly skilled at enabling children and young people to return home, by providing support to the child, young person and their parents to give them every chance of success. A social worker commented, „A comprehensive package of support has been offered to support a young person with the transition home. This shows commitment and that the staff have the young person‟s best interests at heart.‟ When children and young people are admitted to the home, a pre-admission risk assessment provides some analysis about whether the home can meet their needs without detriment to the children and young people already in residence. Children and young people say that they are made welcome when they arrive, and they are given information about the home, including how to make

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Good

a complaint, which helps them to know what is expected of them and what they can, in turn, expect.

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Good

Children and young people feel safe in this home and they become safer as a consequence of the actions taken by the managers and the staff of the home. Staff have a clear understanding of the risks which children and young people face, and manage these well. One social worker commented in relation to a young person, „The staff understand him down to a “T”.‟ Incidents of children and young people going missing from the home have decreased. However, there are instances of unauthorised absence. There are clear protocols, which staff follow, to respond to any such incidents. This includes looking for them, keeping in touch by mobile telephone, contacting all known associates and appropriate reporting. One young person said, „They always ring to make sure you are alright.‟ Children and young people at risk of sexual exploitation are reviewed regularly in a network meeting. This ensures that all the appropriate

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Good

agencies are involved and held accountable for supporting and protecting the child or young person. For one young person, the level of assessed risk has reduced. When children and young people return from their unauthorised absences, they do not consistently have an interview with a person independent of the home. The records did not demonstrate that this was offered or followed up with any degree of tenacity. As these interviews provide an additional layer of protection to vulnerable children and young people, an opportunity to consider the issues is lost. Behaviour is well managed in this home. Staff are positive and proactive in using incentives to encourage good behaviour, and this works effectively most of the time. There are very few sanctions and very few incidents where physical intervention has been used. Physical intervention is used appropriately, and as a last resort. It is generally well recorded, but there was one instance where the

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Good

record did not show managerial oversight or comments from the staff involved. This was because the home‟s manager had been involved herself, so an independent manager needed to monitor and evaluate the record. There did not appear to be a system to ensure that this shortfall would not happen again in similar circumstances. This has the potential to affect the timeliness and level of managerial oversight that these incidents require to protect children‟s and young people‟s safety and well-being.

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Good

Leaders and managers are child focused and committed to providing a good quality of care. They have a good understanding of the needs of the children and young people, place these at the centre of their practice and monitor their progress through a variety of means. The registered manager brings a wealth of relevant experience to the post, and has recently completed the work involved to enable her to obtain the level 5 diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare. This is currently awaiting accreditation. The home is staffed by a team of residential childcare workers, all but one of whom are suitably qualified. There is an acceptable reason for the delay for the remaining member of staff. However, night care assistants do not have the relevant qualification. This is being addressed by the provider as a matter of urgency. As they are always supported by a qualified member of staff, the impact

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Good

of this is minimised. Staff demonstrate a good level of knowledge, skill and competence, which enables them to deliver a good quality of service. They feel well supported by regular supervision, and the structure of team meetings has been recently altered to improve accessibility. Staff have access to a variety of training opportunities, and undertake appropriate courses to enable them to offer a good and safe level of care. However, the training records lack clarity and are incomplete, making it difficult to know with any degree of certainty who has undertaken what training. It is difficult to see the link between training needs and training undertaken, and when updates are required. The case records of children and young people, although generally comprehensive, do not consistently contain the most up-to-date information, such as personal education plans, thereby making it difficult for staff to know how to provide the

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Good

most appropriate support. Although staff, children and young people confirm that key working and individual sessions take place regularly, not all case records reflect the regularity of this work. Consequently, the manager is not able to monitor the quality and effectiveness of this work, and the record for the child or young person is incomplete. Regular monitoring, both internal and external, is used to drive improvement. Feedback from the external independent visitor is an agenda item for staff meetings, and the minutes of these meetings demonstrate that staff reflect and act on recommendations from these visits. There is a robust process for internal monitoring, but, for various reasons, some of the detail of this has been missed, leading to the documentary shortfalls identified. The manager and her deputy are currently devising the development plan for the coming year. This takes into account the feedback from all sources, as well as any themes identified from the

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Good

monitoring. The home has recently updated its statement of purpose. The statement of purpose and the children‟s guide are readily available in the home for anyone who wishes to see them, to understand what services are provided. The statement of purpose provides an accurate reflection of the home, and staff and managers are clearly working in line with its stated aims and objectives. For example, a staff member encapsulated this when commenting about the best things about the job, saying, „Keeping them safe, being a positive role model and making a difference to their lives.‟ Partnership working is a strength. There are regular multi-agency meetings to consider how children and young people are progressing, and how best to keep them safe and meet their needs. One stakeholder commented, „There is an excellent working partnership between the youth offending service, staff, the school and Connexions. The multi-agency team is working closely together and it is

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Good

really having a positive impact on the young person.‟ Social workers and independent reviewing officers are positive about the level and appropriateness of the communication. Managers will challenge partners if necessary, for example to progress or reconsider a plan. Relationships with parents are also effective. The home provides support to facilitate a safe return to the birth family, and actively supports contact arrangements. One parent commented, „Staff always give me feedback about how the children are doing. Staff always bring them to see me. They are approachable and supportive to the kids and to me.‟

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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 that 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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