Children's home run by Nottingham City Council in Nottingham

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:

 Care planning arrangements are not always clear. This has resulted in situations in which some young people have not received consistently good care in the home.  In circumstances when young people are persistently missing from care, managers have not always taken a robust approach to ensuring that care plans have urgently been reviewed.  Risk assessments are not always kept up to date and do not fully reflect the risk-taking behaviours of some young people.  Reports from strategy meetings are either not on file or are of a poor quality. Managers do not challenge this practice.  Investigations of allegations are not in accordance with statutory guidance.  Arrangements for assessing and preparing young people for leaving care are not in alignment with what is described in the statement of purpose.  Children and young people do not consistently contribute to their care planning, or are not encouraged to read and comment upon their case

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because:

records.  Arrangements to access important statutory records for children and young people are poor.  The acting manager has not retained a record, or copies, of his professional supervisions.  Children and young people who leave the home do not benefit from having a record of their time in the home.

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The children's home strengths

 Staff are exceptionally well trained and supervised. This home benefits from a skilled and committed workforce.  Significant structural improvements and investment in the home ensure that children and young people benefit from a high-quality home environment.  Partnership arrangements with multi-disciplinary teams are cohesive and effective.  Safeguarding knowledge and operational practice are good. Staff have the skills and experience to work with young people who have risk-taking behaviours.  The home has an experienced senior leadership and management team that oversees the operation of the home. It understands the shortfalls identified in this inspection and has plans in place to address deficits.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered persons meet 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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

7: The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard In order to meet the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard, the registered person must: (1) ensure that children receive care from staff (c) who take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. This is with particular regard to the inclusion of young people in care and placement planning, and to supporting children to contribute to and comment on relevant documents. 23/08/2016

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must: (2)(a) ensure that staff (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. This is with specific regard to ensuring that all risk assessments are up to date and to making sure that strategy meeting minutes are obtained and recommendations acted upon. 23/08/2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that (1)(a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential: and (b) promotes their welfare. 23/08/2016 14: The care planning standard In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must: (1)(a) ensure that children and young people receive effectively planned care in and through the children’s home. This is with specific regard to ensuring up-to-date pathway plans for relevant young people and that independence planning and assessment are conducted in line with the statement of purpose. 23/08/2016

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must: (2)(e) ensure that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and an urgent review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if; (i) the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs; or (ii) the child is, or has been persistently absent from the home without permission. 23/08/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child, are kept up to date and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c)) 23/08/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40(4)(c)) 23/08/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  The duties and responsibilities of local authorities and others who deliver children's services with regard to safeguarding children are set out clearly in the statutory guidance, ‘Working together to safeguard children’. Allegations should be managed in accordance with statutory guidance. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.2)  A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)  It is good practice for a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions to be kept and for both the person giving the supervision and staff

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Recommendations

member to have a copy. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)  The home's records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Children and their parents should be supported to understand the nature of records kept by the home and how to access them. Staff should understand their important role in encouraging children to reflect on and understand their histories, according to their age and understanding. Staff should keep and encourage children to keep memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help them to record significant life events. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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Information about this children's home

This is a local authority children’s home that provides medium- to long-term care for up to three children and/or young people who have 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

18/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

17/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Requires improvement

Young people have experienced variable standards of care in this home. Some young people, who have been in placement for significant periods, have not engaged with their care plans. They have also been persistently absent from the home. As a result, they have not made good progress in many area of their lives. Other young people have engaged with staff and benefited from stable placements. This has promoted improved education, social and health outcomes. Staff use creative approaches to meet young people’s individual education needs. They work with a range of education providers and the local authority virtual school to support young people to engage and achieve in education. Attendance levels are variable, some improve from young people’s starting points. However, some young people refuse to engage in education or training, despite plans being in place. This is, in large part, due to their absence from the home. This results in

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Requires improvement

exceptionally poor attendance levels and educational achievement. Arrangements to prepare young people for their futures in semi- or full independence are not wholly satisfactory. The statement of purpose states that: ‘The home has an independence programme for all the young people to work through to enable them to develop skills required as they move into independence. This life skills workbook is started at an early stage and offers a graduated skills learning package that will eventually feed into their independence preparation and Pathway Plan.’ Analysis of case files and discussions with managers demonstrate that young people’s life skills workbooks are not completed, there is no evidence of independence preparation and pathway plans are not completed. Therefore, young people may not have the skills or knowledge needed to sustain a good level of independence. Planned transitions from the home are decided in care planning reviews.

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Requires improvement

Sometimes, due to understandable circumstances, young people leave the home suddenly. This means that managers and staff are unable to ensure a positive ending to the placement. In such circumstances, it is important for young people to leave the home with a record of their time in the home. Unfortunately, young people have left the home without such a record. This does not ensure that young people have an enduring record of memories to look back on. Over time, young people develop positive and trusting relationships with staff. Young people receive regular individual sessions with key staff members. Discussions are pertinent to the needs and behaviours of young people. Records of discussions show that staff strive to educate young people and to explore topics and issues with them. Thus, young people and staff can work through difficulties and find solutions to some problems that affect the young people. One social

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Requires improvement

worker said: ‘Staff really try to understand the young person.’ Staff ensure that young people have easy access and support to routine and specialist healthcare. Although some young people are reluctant to engage in their healthcare, and they engage in risk-taking behaviours, they have trusted staff to support them with sensitive health issues. This enables them to benefit from the advice, guidance and support provided by staff. Consequently, young people are able to access services to address their specific health needs. Managers and staff endeavour to support young people with the promotion of contact with families and significant individuals. This enables young people to benefit from positive contact arrangements with their parents, families and friends. One young person told the inspector that she was able to have her siblings come to the home, cook and eat Sunday lunch together. Professionals are positive in

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Requires improvement

their views about the promotion of contact.

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Requires improvement

For young people who go missing, or are absent from the home, there are mixed outcomes, and progress made, in reducing the risks they are exposed too. Some young people have been persistently absent from the home and missing from care. Their whereabouts are known. However, due to the potential risks and difficulties in maintaining communication, staff have to report young people as missing from care. In these circumstances, the police have provided a high-level response, and the staff have worked diligently to locate and make contact with the young person. However, strategies to prevent young people from leaving the home and placing themselves at risk have not been wholly effective. The incidents of missing from care have not reduced, and there have been no clear plans in place, which have reduced risk. Despite the known potential risks, managers have not robustly escalated concerns or sought to have an urgent review of the young person’s care

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Requires improvement

plan. This does not promote the safety or welfare for these young people. For some other young people who used to go absent, or missing from care, they have had a more positive outcome. Strategies used by staff have worked and there have been significant reductions in the frequency and duration of them being missing or absent from the home. This has reduced the potential risk of harm they are exposed too. Staff and managers attend strategy meetings when safeguarding issues occur. However, managers and staff do not always obtain a record of minutes from meetings. Additionally, managers and staff do not consistently update risk assessments, following significant incidents. These combined shortfalls result in records not providing clarity about what actions are necessary to minimise risk. The requirement set at the last inspection to ensure that clear systems are put in place to record actions taken in relation to any complaints and allegations has been

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Requires improvement

fully addressed. Managers have developed a secure system to record the initial allegation and to log each subsequent action. There has been one allegation since the last inspection. However, the allegation has not been progressed in line with regulatory requirements, or statutory guidance. For example, there was a significant delay in the referral reaching the designated officer, and the acting manager initiated his own fact-finding investigation prior to consulting with the designated officer. Additionally, records fail to provide a coherent or detailed account of a rigorous investigation. Despite this poor practice, the young person who made the allegation told the inspector that she feels safe and knows what actions to take if she has any further concern or complaint. Staff have received a well-rounded safeguarding training package, including working with young people at risk of child sexual exploitation. The knowledge

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Requires improvement

gained from this training is evident in the work with some young people, who have had known risks associated with being sexually exploited. One police officer said: ‘They are proactive. I don’t know what else they could possibly do!’ From admission to the home, patterns of behaviours change and indicate that some young people spend more time in the home, focus on education, relationships and social activities. This means that risks in relation to being sexually exploited reduce and young people kept safe from harm.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager for this home is appropriately qualified and experienced. An acting manager and a deputy manager support the registered manager in his day-to-day duties. In April 2016, the remit of the home changed from a short-term assessment home to provide care for children and young people on a medium- to long-term basis. Since the change of remit, placement and care planning arrangements have not been wholly effective for all young people, particularly in regards to young people initially placed under the short-term assessment remit. In one case, a local authority care plan was out of date and the review of care plans was not in line with the young person’s emerging needs. This does not promote the welfare of young people. Additionally, young people have not participated in their own care planning or contributed to their records. Consequently, this restricts their input into their care. Case file records are incomplete and do not provide an accurate or comprehensive

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Requires improvement

overview of care or placement planning. This is because access to essential statutory care plans, both from hard copies and electronic databases, is difficult. Consequently, it is hard to develop a clear understanding of the plans or progress. This fails to provide managers, staff and young people with an overview of care plans. Partnership working is well coordinated, and there are positive relationships with social care, health, education and police professionals. This helps aid the sharing of information between agencies. Staff benefit from a supportive working environment. They receive regular professional supervision and report feeling supported. Staff development is ongoing through the completion of annual developmental reviews called ‘my plan’. These set out training requirements and developmental objectives. The majority of staff are now qualified to the level 3 diploma, with all managers also either having

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Requires improvement

completed, or being due to commence, their level 5 diploma in leadership and management. The acting manager receives monthly supervision from the responsible individual, but does not retain evidence to support this, or records of his supervision meetings. This does not enable the regulator to confirm the appropriateness of supervision arrangements. Internal and external quality assurance processes provide a consistent level of monitoring. This means that managers can address identified shortfalls. Development plans are in place to promote the care and environment for young people. One such positive development includes the extension and renovation of parts of the home. Managers fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home and they understand how to address the shortfalls identified in this inspection.

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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 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 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 that 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 whom 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

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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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