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:

 Leaders and managers demonstrate a high level of aspiration for the children and young people in their care to reach their full potential. This has a significant positive impact on their experiences and progress while living at this home.  Children and young people enjoy positive relationships with the people who look after them. The ethos is one of nurturing care, where the needs of children and young people are paramount.  Behaviour is well managed through rewards and incentives, rather than punishment. Consequently, children and young people respond well, become less challenging, and are more accepting of the boundaries placed upon them.  Children and young people become safer as a result of living in this home. Staff work well with partner agencies to promote children’s and young people’s safety and well-being.  Partnership working is of a very high quality. Communication and information sharing are excellent, and the manager and staff challenge and

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The children’s home provision is good because:

hold other agencies to account where this is required for the benefit of children and young people.  Staff work well with parents, which supports good and safe contact arrangements as well as sustaining and improving relationships.  Managers are aspirational for the staff to be the best they can be, and provide opportunities to develop their strengths. As a result, staff feel valued, and are highly motivated and committed to the children and young people. Staff are supported by regular and good-quality supervision, training, and opportunities to reflect on, and improve, their practice.  One shortfall in relation to monitoring the record of physical intervention has been identified. This was one instance, and it has not had a negative impact on children and young people.

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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 within 48 hours of the use of the measure of control or restraint, 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 five days of the use of the measure, adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 30/09/2016

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home, which is owned and managed by the local authority, is registered to provide care and accommodation for six children 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

08/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

03/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Good

Children and young people benefit from the good-quality, individualised care that is provided by the staff of this home. They make good progress and have positive experiences, which enhance their life chances. For example, they become calmer and more settled, develop their independence skills, become more sociable, achieve educationally, and have plans for their futures. They are happy and enjoy their time at the home. A parent commented of her child: ‘He is doing really well and has made lots of progress.’

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Good

The relationships between staff, children and young people are good and are based on mutual respect. One child commented: ‘It’s like a big family.’ One young person, who rated the home 10 out of 10, said: ‘Staff are always calm.’ Another young person said: ‘The best thing about the home is the people in it.’ Positive relationships based on nurturing care provide the foundation on which children and young people can start to build trust with their adult caregivers, and from there make progress and thrive.

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Good

All the children and young people have educational placements for the coming term, and have made good educational progress. For some, who were excluded from school prior to coming to the home, this is a real achievement. Staff have been instrumental in facilitating new school placements which are more appropriate to their needs. They have assisted young people to attain because they have actively supported revision, and enabled GCSE examinations to be taken at the home, when attendance at school was problematic. This flexible, problem- solving approach promotes the best outcomes possible.

p.6

Good

Children and young people are making good progress with their health, both physical and emotional. They are encouraged to access universal services, and specialist services, such as the child and adolescent mental health service and substance misuse services, are utilised as necessary. The children looked after nurse attends all planning meetings and also provides advice and guidance to staff, children and young people.

p.6

Good

Children and young people have become more confident and have improved their social skills as a result of living in this home. They are encouraged and supported to access community facilities, such as the gym and football clubs, and have made friends and improved their health as a result. They comment that staff spend time with them and do things with them, encapsulated by one young person who said: ‘Staff are not in the office much.’ This summer’s activities have been particularly ambitious and demonstrate the aspirations which the manager and staff have for the children and young people. These activities include gorge-walking, coasteering, deep sea fishing, camping, mountain bike-riding and go-karting, as well as trips to the seaside and other places of interest. As a result of taking part, children and young people have developed new interests and skills, have a real sense of achievement, and their

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Good

confidence and self-esteem have improved.

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Good

Children and young people feel listened to and know that staff take their views seriously. They are clear about the plans for their futures, and contribute to the plans for their day-to-day care. They express their views informally, as well as in young people’s meetings and one-to-one sessions with their key worker. Consequently, they feel valued and their self-confidence increases. An independent advocate also visits regularly, which provides an additional avenue of support.

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Good

Children and young people are supported to have positive contact with their families and people who are important to them. This helps to sustain and improve relationships, and is instrumental in facilitating their successful return home if this is an appropriate plan. If that is not the plan, it is important in helping them to maintain their sense of identity and understanding of their heritage.

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Good

Children and young people who are new to the home are made welcome and are enabled to settle. They are given a welcome pack, which includes useful information about the home and what is expected of them. Young people are supported to be independent by ensuring that they have the necessary skills and emotional resilience to make a successful transition once they reach adulthood.

p.7

Good

Children and young people say that they feel safe and that there is no bullying in the home. They are kept safer because staff have a very good knowledge and understanding of safeguarding issues, policies, procedures and protocols, which they implement in practice. Staff have had recent training in safeguarding, which includes the ‘Prevent’ duty, as well as child sexual exploitation. They also have a good understanding of issues such as self-injurious behaviour. This, combined with the input of appropriate specialists, such as the child and adolescent mental health service, promotes safer care.

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Good

Risks are well assessed, monitored and evaluated. Comprehensive risk assessments are updated in the light of changing behaviours and emerging risks. This ensures that staff are fully aware of how to manage risky situations and work consistently to keep children and young people safer. This does not prevent children and young people from engaging in adventurous and challenging situations, such as the planned summer activities. Although many of these pose some level of risk, this has been well managed by using accredited outdoor activity centres, staffed by competent professionals. Children and young people are thus enabled to have an exciting time, while their safety is, as far as possible, assured.

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Good

Children and young people are not regularly going missing, and although there are some unauthorised absences, these are decreasing in frequency. Each child and young person has an individual protocol, which is followed in the event that they are not where they should be. Staff are tenacious in following up any leads and liaising with the police and other contacts. There is a good system for requesting and following-up return home interviews when these are required, which provides an added layer of protection.

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Good

Behaviour is well managed in this home. Good relationships between staff, children and young people provide a sound basis from which to build on promoting positive behaviour. Children and young people have become less challenging, calmer and more settled. They work towards incentives, and sanctions and physical intervention are rare. These are appropriate and are generally well recorded and monitored. However, on one occasion when physical intervention had been used, there was no evidence of managerial oversight, or that staff and the young person had been offered the opportunity to give their views. Consequently, opportunities to reflect on, and improve, practice were lost.

p.8

Good

The home has good relationships with the police, who visit to offer children and young people advice and guidance. This also ensures that the manager is made aware of any issues within the community, such as new ‘hot-spots’, which are then addressed in the comprehensive and up-to-date location risk assessment. The manager is also the lead for residential care on the missing persons’ multi-agency group, which promotes information-sharing to keep children and young people safer.

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Outstanding

The home is managed extremely effectively by an experienced and appropriately qualified registered manager, who has recently obtained the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. He is ably assisted by a deputy manager and a small number of more experienced residential childcare workers, who together form a strong leadership team. Leaders and managers demonstrate a real passion for improving the lives of the children and young people for whom they care. They involve the whole staff team in considering and reflecting on how to do this in practice, which in turn translates into a detailed development plan to improve the home. There is a high level of aspiration for children and young people to achieve their full potential and to have experiences that they may otherwise not have, to enrich their lives, build their skills and self- confidence, and enjoy and achieve.

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Outstanding

The manager is similarly aspirational for the staff team. He is keen to develop its potential, so that it functions at the highest level possible. In addition to the local authority’s and home’s own induction programmes, new staff have in-house development days, where they reflect on attitudes, values and the ethos of the home as well as practical issues, such as prioritising their work on shift. These are led by two experienced residential childcare workers, as part of their development as future leaders. The manager and deputy manager lead by example and provide good role models for the team. Staff morale is high because they feel valued and supported. They then, in turn, are more able to value and support the children and young people, and ‘go the extra mile’ when needed, for example working extra hours to facilitate activities, or provide additional support. They display a high level of commitment, care and competence, and a ‘can-do’ attitude. Comments from

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Outstanding

staff include: ‘It’s great’, and, ‘I love it here.’ Stakeholders have also reflected this in their comments, which include: ‘Staff are extremely helpful and take responsibility for corporate parenting. They think outside the box, find new ways of engaging young people and go above and beyond to make it safe.’

p.9

Outstanding

Staff are very well supported by regular supervision, appraisal and opportunities to reflect on, and improve, their practice. They have access to appropriate, good- quality training, and this is encouraged as part of their development. There is a clear system for recording training, and monitoring this to ensure that the mandatory courses remain in date. There is an expectation that staff feed back their learning to the rest of the team. All relevant staff have, or are working towards, the required qualification in childcare.

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Outstanding

There are effective internal and external systems for monitoring and evaluating the operation of the home, as well as the progress that children and young people are making. Feedback is also sought from stakeholders, parents and children and young people. Any suggestions for improvement, from any source, are considered and acted upon where possible.

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Outstanding

Files are audited regularly, with evidence of follow-up of any deficiencies or missing documentation. This has been an improvement since the last inspection, when a requirement in relation to case files was made. This has now been met. Children and young people also have a photographic record of their time at the home, in the form of a memory book, to enable them to reflect positively on their experiences and achievements when it is time to move on. Staff are clearly aware of, and work in line with, the statement of purpose. They speak positively and knowledgeably about the ethos and the importance of nurturing care, which translates into practice and improved outcomes.

p.9

Outstanding

Partnership working is highly effective, and there are ‘excellent relationships’, to quote one stakeholder. Partners speak very positively about the excellent communication and information sharing, which enables them all to work together to progress the care plan. One team manager said: ‘They have worked very well with us. They are good at listening to our suggestions so they can provide an individual service.’ Another team manager commented: ‘We work things out together and have a collaborative team approach.’ However, partners are also challenged where necessary. For example, one social worker commented that, ‘they hold me to account’. Staff work equally well in partnership with parents. Comments from parents include: ‘Staff are brilliant’, and, ‘they are really good’. This ensures that parents have full information about what is happening in their child’s life and can contribute effectively to their plan, which may be to return

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Outstanding

home, or continue to build positive relationships through contact arrangements.

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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 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 children looked after 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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