Children's home run by Nottinghamshire YMCA in Nottingham

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:

 The current young person has made very positive progress in all areas of their life since moving to this home. This includes re-engagement in education and a significant reduction in concerning and risky behaviours.  The young person has had no missing from care incidents since moving to this home. In previous placements, this was a significant concern and pattern of behaviour.  Staff have formed very positive relationships with the young person and provide nurturing and person-centred care. The registered manager demonstrates a commendable commitment to ensuring that any potential new placements are very carefully considered and planned.  Staff and the manager have formed very proactive and positive working relationships with a wide range of agencies, including the placing authorities, mental health services and the police. This is leading to improved outcomes for the young person in all areas of their life in a very

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The children's home provision is good because:

short period of time.  Contact with the young person’s family is promoted and supported to a very high level. Staff and the manager demonstrate a detailed and sensitive understanding of the needs of the young person and their family and have responded to this to a very good level. Such flexibility in considering and promoting contact has undoubtedly led to the ceasing of missing from care incidents for this young person.  The young person has been able to experience a wide range of social activities and opportunities, most of which have been first time experiences. This is leading to increased self-confidence and a sense of worth.  The young person has re-engaged with education after many years of non- attendance. From a starting point of not attending or engaging at all, the young person is now engaging with an external education provision, as well as completing course work within the home. This reflects the improved

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The children's home provision is good because:

emotional stability for this young person and the impact of positive role models within the staff team.  Engagement of staff and the manager with involved agencies is excellent. There is a real learning culture and ethos evident within the staff team and feedback from professionals is consistently positive. Staff feel exceptionally well supported and valued by the manager and able to fully contribute to the running of the home and decision making.

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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 independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person's report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person's opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded and the conduct of the home promotes children's well-being. The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person's report to HMCI (Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b) (7)(a)). 10 June 2016

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Information about this children's home

Tulip House is one of a small number of children’s homes in the area, owned and run by a local charitable organisation. It provides care and accommodation for up to two children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

This is the first inspection of this service, following its registration by Ofsted in December 2015.

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Good

The current young person is the only resident the home has had move in since opening, and presents as being very happy living in this home. In a relatively short period of time, the young person has formed very trusting and positive relationships with the staff team. This was evident during this inspection, with the young person interacting very positively with staff. The young person listens to advice from staff and presents as motivated to achieve in all areas of their life. The placing social worker for this young person commented: ‘The young person has made massive improvements since moving to this home. The progress is beyond belief and the staff are such positive role models.’ The young person has responded very well to the boundaries, advice and guidance provided by the staff team and manager. The young person takes great pride in sharing his experiences since moving here. This has included re-engaging with

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Good

education, and new social activities and experiences. Staff work very sensitively and at a pace which has enabled the young person to begin to consider their future and aspirations. The young person has been to theme parks and taken part in many other activities, all of which have been first time experiences for him. Staff take photographs and compile albums of such experiences for the young person. These will provide the young person with lasting and positive memories of their time living in this home. The young person has settled extremely well in this placement. Having experienced several placements prior to this one, it is evident that his needs are being fully met and that the placement is very stable. He has re-engaged in education to a level not previously seen. This is attributable to the support provided by the staff team, as well as excellent multi-agency working with education and social care colleagues. A lot of detailed work has been undertaken

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Good

to identify the most suitable educational provision for this young person. Advice and guidance services have also worked closely with the staff and placing social worker to enable this to happen. This has fully taken into consideration the known educational history of the young person and an analysis of what would work for him. In a relatively short period of time, this has led to the young person being motivated to attend, engage and complete course work. The placing social worker said of this: ‘He is doing things that he has refused to do for many years, which is amazing.’ There is now cautious optimism from all professionals involved of a positive future for this young person. The planning and consideration for the admission of the present young person has been thorough, robust and sensitive. The manager visited the young person prior to their admission and the young person was able to come and visit the home and

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Good

meet staff before moving in. The manager is also very clear that no further admissions will be made, unless the needs of this young person are compatible with any other young person. The placing social worker has commended the manager for such careful consideration of all referrals for new placements and in fully consulting with the placing authority for their views. This demonstrates the commitment of the manager and staff to ensuring that the needs of all young people placed can and will be met. The young person has all of their health needs well met. They are registered with the appropriate agencies and encouraged to attend appointments. Where the young person refuses, staff work sensitively with them to try and understand their reluctance and seek ways to address this with them. The staff team have regular contact with the local mental health services. They seek advice and consultation with such agencies to ensure that plans and assessments reflect the young

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Good

person’s needs and that they can meet them. A local mental health worker stated: ‘I have a very close and positive relationship with this home. The manager and staff call me to ask for advice and to share relevant information. They are all very proactive in working to identify and meet the needs of young people.’ The young person feels fully engaged in all aspects of how the home is run. Staff regularly consult with the young person about their wishes and feelings and respond to any concerns or issues that may raise. There have been no reported complaints from the young person, or others, since the home opened in December 2015. The young person knows how to make a complaint and has regular visits from an independent advocate to discuss any issues that they may have. The young person presents as confident in being able to express their wishes, views and feelings at all times with both staff and the manager. The young person works

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Good

with staff to decide menu plans for the week, assists them with food shopping and has been able to personalise his bedroom to reflect his likes and interests. It is also apparent that the young person is clear as to the boundaries set and responds well to these. An example of this relates to the use of the internet in the home. There are clear rules in relation to when Wi-Fi is turned off each night. The young person was not initially happy with this and discussed it with their advocate. The reasons were clearly explained and the young person now accepts this. Regular discussion and dialogue between staff and the young person provide them with opportunities to question the care and support that they receive and to accept the rationale for such decisions. The young person is now engaging in review meetings and is able to express their views in such forums. The placing social worker stated that this was a significant

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Good

improvement for this young person, who previously refused to engage in any discussions about their care. Staff also encourage the young person to complete feedback forms relating to the care that they receive. The young person has declined to formally complete feedback to date, but is clearly confident in verbalising their wishes and feelings with staff, the manager and the independent advocate. A key strength of this home is how well staff and the manager support and promote contact with family for the young person. In previous placements, a regular pattern of missing from care incidents was evident. This was largely linked to contact with family. The staff and manager have responded very sensitively and flexibly to the needs of the young person and their family and support contact to a very high level. This has led to a total cessation of missing from care incidents in this placement. The placing social worker has commended the staff team for how

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Good

well they promote and support contact. This reflects the confidence of the staff team in enabling the young person to take age-appropriate risks and in preparing them for their eventual transition from care.

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Good

The current young person presents as feeling safe living in this home. Staff demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of the actual, or potential, vulnerabilities of the young person and respond in a very proactive and caring manner to his needs. Risk assessments reflect the known, or potential, concerns and risk factors for the young person and what action staff should take. They work closely and proactively with all involved agencies and family members to ensure that the young person is kept safe from harm. The manager is keen to ensure that the staff team have the skills and competence to respond to any safeguarding concerns or issues. He has sourced recent training on extremism and is shortly due to attend an event with local police and other care providers with presentations on child sexual exploitation and other safeguarding issues. From their starting point, the young person’s concerning and potentially risky

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Good

behaviours have significantly reduced in frequency and severity. The staff team has fully considered the known history of concerning behaviours of this young person and has developed plans and risk assessments aimed at reducing such risks. By identifying patterns of missing from care incidents and their links with contact with family issues, the staff team has been able to devise and implement a flexible contact plan for the young person. This meets both his needs and those of his family members and has also led to a total cessation of missing from care incidents since moving to this home. The placing social worker praised the staff team for this achievement, stating the very high number of missing from care incidents in previous placements. The young person has access to a computer, mobile phone and internet access within the home. This is closely monitored by the staff team to ensure that the young person uses such devices in a responsible and safe manner. Clear

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Good

agreements further set out times when internet access will be turned off in the home. This is in place to ensure that the young person learns about appropriate use of the internet. The young person discusses their use of social media with staff informally and in key work sessions to further promote safe practices. Staff support the young person to take age-appropriate risks in a planned and considered manner. This includes allowing the young person to use public transport unaided at agreed times to attend contact with family and education. This promotes the independence skills of the young person and is supported by direct work with him to further educate and support him on keeping himself safe when outside of the home. The recruitment and selection of staff is robust and prevents unsuitable adults from working with vulnerable children and young people. The manager has clear systems in place and ensures that all reasonable checks are undertaken of all staff

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Outstanding

The home was registered by Ofsted in December 2015 and has had one young person admitted since that time. The registered manager has devised and implemented excellent systems for considering all referrals for placements. A detailed analysis of referral information is undertaken, fully including all staff members prior to making a decision to accept a placement. The manager demonstrates a commendable commitment to ensuring that children and young people are only placed in this home if staff have the necessary skills and ability to meet their complex needs. The placing social worker, for the young person currently placed, could not praise the manager highly enough for their matching processes. She stated that the manager and staff show a total commitment to improving the outcomes for the young person and will not consider a further placement unless they are sure that they can meet both young people’s needs. The young person currently placed is

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Outstanding

fully aware of this, and of the staff team wanting to ensure that the next placement will be as successful as his current placement. There is a very strong young person-focused ethos in this home. Staff display a strong commitment to the present young person, constantly striving to improve his experiences and outcomes. Another key strength of the home is how well it chases the placing authority for any missing documentation. This is clearly evident on the young person’s records and demonstrates the dedication of staff and the manager to meeting the young person’s needs. Staff all report feeling highly valued and supported by the manager. They benefit from very detailed induction programmes and training opportunities. The manager uses supervision and probationary period reviews to undertake detailed analysis and evaluation of how each staff member is performing and to identify learning needs. An example of this relates to considering any specific issues relating to their

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Outstanding

caring role, setting out action plans and measuring improvements with them over agreed timescales. Such attention to detail is welcomed by staff, who feel that they are not only valued as professional carers but also being challenged to improve their practices. The manager has excellent systems in place to monitor and evaluate the impact that the care which the staff team provides has on the young person. Hugely detailed reports set out the weekly and monthly achievements of the current young person in all areas of their life. An example of this relates to the implementation of a sleep monitoring system for the young person. Staff and managers use this to help the young person to address his historically poor sleep patterns. In a relatively short period of time, such monitoring and support has led to exceptional improvements for the young person. By considering the young person’s previous behaviours and their impact, the staff team has been able to

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Outstanding

support the young person with bedtime routines. He is now getting more sleep, waking refreshed and attending education. The manager provides inspirational leadership to the staff team. Staff members all report feeling integral to the running of the home. The manager seeks their views on all aspects of how the home is run and nurtures them to develop their skills. He encourages them to take on lead roles, with a view that they may well be the managers of the future. Staff respond exceptionally well to such an approach and feel highly valued. The development plan for the home reflects the inclusion of all staff members and sets clear and aspirational targets for the future of the home. The manager is in the process of devising and implementing a young person’s plan, which will sit alongside the main development plan. Decisions about how the home is presented, activities and training are fully discussed with staff and the

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Outstanding

young person. The manager has a strong learning ethos and proactively seeks out training and development opportunities for himself and the staff members. Staff and the manager have supported the current young person to make exceptional progress from his starting point since he moved to this home. This has been achieved through very careful consideration of known information at the point of placement and excellent multi-agency working. As the placing social worker said: ‘I could never have imagined that my young person would have made such amazing progress in such a short time. The staff and manager have achieved fantastic results and outcomes in such a short time. I want him to stay here for as long as possible.’ One shortfall has been identified as a result of this inspection. An independent person undertakes monthly visits to the home and produces a report from each visit. However, the reports do not provide sufficient detail as to how young people

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Outstanding

are safeguarded or how staff promote young people’s well-being. There is insufficient detail in the reports to assist the manager in further developing or improving the services provided. The reports have also not been sent to Ofsted following each visit. This has the potential to hinder Ofsted’s ability to monitor practice in the home.

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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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