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 in this home. They have individualised packages of care and support that address all their needs. Their educational attendance is particularly good and they are meeting their targets. Their core healthcare needs are addressed and they benefit from specialist services that support their complex emotional needs.  Children’s and young people’s experiences are positive. They have good relationships with staff, and activities are well promoted. They live full and active lives and develop self-confidence and improved self-esteem. A comprehensive programme to develop independent living skills ensures that young people are equipped, both practically and emotionally, to move on from this home when the time is right.  Children and young people feel safe and are made safer by the actions of staff. Thorough and up-to-date risk management plans ensure that staff

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The children’s home provision is good because:

have written guidance to inform their practice.  Behaviour is well managed through the implementation of comprehensive behaviour support plans and a well-developed incentive scheme.  The manager provides good and effective leadership through his child- focused practice, commitment and passion. This has resulted in a staff team that demonstrates similar enthusiasm and dedication to ensuring that children and young people receive a good level of care.  Partnership working is positive, effective and well established. This results in consistent, multidisciplinary support to improve children’s and young people’s outcomes.  Shortfalls have been identified, which have not had an impact on the good quality of provision or children’s and young people’s progress and experiences. Record keeping in relation to physical intervention, return-to- home interviews and training is identified as an area for improvement. All

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The children’s home provision is good because:

staff must attain the required childcare qualification and receive regular, reflective supervision to enhance their practice.

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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 within 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)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes everything in this regulation. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(i–viii)) 30/09/2016

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Recommendations

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

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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-to-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 including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered manager should have a workforce plan that is updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and should be used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of the staff. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff receive

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Recommendations

supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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

02/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Children and young people make progress in many areas of their lives. They benefit from individualised packages of care and support that address their complex and varied needs. One social worker commented about a young person: ‘He has become confident, has improved self-esteem and he has developed good social skills as a result of the help and support of staff. It is this secure base that has helped him to progress so well.’ Staff are aspirational for children and young people to do the very best they can. One member of staff, when explaining why targets for some are higher than for others, said: ‘Each care plan is aspirational and realistic for each individual.’

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Good

Children and young people have excellent school attendance and are making progress. One young person has just taken his GCSE examinations and is predicted to do well. He has a place at a local college and is currently doing work experience, with staff encouragement, in preparation for this. Their healthcare needs, both physical and emotional, are addressed through access to universal and specialist services. For some, this has helped them to process and understand what has happened to them in the past and enabled them to move forward.

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Good

Children and young people have positive relationships with the manager and staff. A team manager said of a child: ‘He has built some positive relationships up with adults. These relationships have taught him to trust significant adults.’ Another social worker said: ‘Staff support him wonderfully – they stick by him through thick and thin and do whatever they can to help him.’ These positive relationships are reflected in the way that staff talk about children and young people. For example, one member of staff said of a young person: ‘He is brilliant. He is fun, he is an absolute pleasure and we all adore him.’

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Good

Children’s and young people’s experiences are positive. They are encouraged to take part in activities that they enjoy and that help to develop skills such as teamwork, negotiation and self-confidence. They go on holiday, play football, watch the local championship football team, go to the cinema and use other local leisure facilities. One child said: ‘I do lots of activities. I go swimming, go-karting and do loads of other stuff. I play on my console, watch TV, I play basketball outside with staff. I go on my go-kart and play football. I am joining a cricket club when we can find one. I am never bored, I am always doing something.’

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Good

Children and young people are consulted in many ways. There are regular young people’s meetings, one-to-one sessions, planning meetings and regular access to an advocate. They are encouraged to contribute to their own action plans, incentives and behaviour support plans. This ensures that they feel involved in day-to-day decisions as well as longer term plans. A child said: ‘The staff are good at listening to me. When I ask for things, they try and make it happen.’ Contact with family and friends is also supported appropriately, so that children and young people can maintain relationships with people who are important to them.

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Good

Preparation for independence is good. There is a structured programme that addresses all the practical skills needed to live independently as well as the development of emotional resilience. This ensures that, as far as possible, the transition is a success. When children and young people are admitted to the home, they are made welcome and given information to help them understand what they can expect and what is expected of them. The manager is very aware of the importance of assessing the impact of a new admission on the rest of the group, and he has refused referrals on that basis. When there is an unanticipated negative impact, he acts swiftly, in conjunction with senior managers, to move the child or young person on to a more appropriate resource to minimise the disruption.

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Good

Children and young people feel safe and are made safer in this home as a result of staff’s actions. Their safety and well-being are promoted through clear, comprehensive and up-to-date risk assessments and behaviour management plans, which staff implement consistently. Positive relationships between staff, children and young people are also a significant factor in promoting safety and security, as children and young people feel able to talk to staff and discuss their worries and concerns.

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Good

Positive behaviour is promoted through the use of incentives. A representative from the police commented: ‘I have no concerns about how staff manage behaviour. Staff only call the police in appropriate situations and usually manage situations in-house. They have a good rapport and successfully de-escalate situations.’ Consequently, sanctions and physical interventions are rare. Staff are trained in the use of physical intervention and maintain a record, which is subject to managerial oversight. However, not all the records were completed with the required information, such as the time of the restraint, and one was inaccurate as the date of the restraint was noted after the date of the discussion with staff. An electronic system is now in use, but the bound book had been used and the information had not then been transferred to the new system, thereby making the record incomplete. This may have an impact on the effectiveness of managerial

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Good

oversight in identifying patterns and trends and how to improve practice.

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Good

Currently, no children or young people go missing from care, or are at risk of sexual exploitation. When children and young people have gone missing in the recent past, staff have taken appropriate action, such as searching for them and notifying the relevant people as soon as possible. Return-to-home interviews are always requested. However, the record does not clearly demonstrate any follow-up action or whether these interviews have actually taken place, and therefore the opportunity to explore the reasons for going missing may be missed.

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Good

Any allegations are responded to appropriately, and the manager has a good relationship with the designated officer, who is available for advice and support. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding issues, and have recently completed training, including in the ‘Prevent’ duty. Internet safety is always an agenda item for young people’s meetings, and the local authority has systems for ensuring that internet access is as safe as possible. Children’s and young people’s safety is enhanced by these systems and processes.

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Good

The home is led and managed by an experienced, knowledgeable and committed registered manager who is in the process of completing the required qualification. He is held in high regard, not only by the staff at the home but also other stakeholders. For example, a team manager commented: ‘I cannot speak highly enough about the manager; his practice is impressive. He stands out as a manager.’ His commitment and passion towards the children and young people in his care are evident, and he is determined that they achieve their full potential. He leads by example and motivates the staff, who also demonstrate commitment and a child-focused approach to providing care and support.

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Good

In addition to enthusiasm and commitment to the children and young people, staff demonstrate a good level of knowledge, skills and competence. The positive relationships between staff, children and young people, and the progress they make, are testament to the staff’s drive and skill. There is access to a variety of training, some of which is online, to further enhance their competence. This includes a newly developed employee progression scheme which identifies future leaders, and which demonstrates good succession planning. However, the record of staff training is currently being updated, and it is difficult to evaluate how training needs have been identified, what training has been completed and when updates are required. The workforce plan is generic and limited in providing this information.

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Good

All staff, with the exception of night-care assistants, have, or are working towards, the required childcare qualification. The provider is currently addressing this issue, to ensure that the situation is rectified. As night-care assistants are always supported by a qualified member of staff, the impact of this is minimised.

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Good

Staff feel well supported through supervision, handovers and team meetings. One member of staff said: ‘I feel very well supported by managers. We are a solid team who work well together and consistently. Morale is good.’ However, the records of formal supervision indicate that supervision is not always being carried out at the required frequency, or that it is reflective of practice. Opportunities may therefore be lost to consider and improve ways of working, and the care and support that children and young people receive.

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Good

Leaders and managers are fully aware of the progress children and young people are making, and what needs to happen to progress their plans. This is fully supported through the systems that are used regularly, such as monthly planning meetings, the outcomes database, regular monitoring of incidents and records, and reviews. When it is clear that something needs to change, managers are quick to act and challenge appropriately, for example, if one young person is having a significantly detrimental impact on the other residents.

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Good

Regular monitoring, both internal and external, is used to drive improvements in the service, and the development plan provides a detailed account of the child- focused aspirations for the coming year. There is a clear understanding of strengths and shortfalls, and how these can be further developed or addressed.

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Good

Partnership working is effective. There are good relationships with social workers, independent reviewing officers, the police and healthcare professionals, which are reinforced by regular communication and meetings. For example, one social worker said: ‘I have absolute faith in the staff. They keep me fully informed of everything and also take advice on board. The staff are very child centred.’ A team manager commented about a piece of work and said: ‘It was an excellent example of partnership working.’ This ensures that everyone involved in a child’s or young person’s life works consistently and in their best interests.

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Good

The recently updated statement of purpose and children’s guide provide an accurate reflection of the services provided and are readily available so that everyone knows what is expected and what to expect.

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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 the ‘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 children looked after 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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