Children's home run by Nottinghamshire County Council

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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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 The home has gone through a period of instability during the last twelve months. A number of staff have left and the impact of the admission of some young people, who have presented extreme challenging behaviours, has hindered developments in the home.  Admissions procedures are not always in the best interests of the existing young people living in the home. Decisions made by the registered provider about admissions to the home have had a negative impact on young people already living at the home.  The registered persons have not obtained information to ensure that agency staff used are suitable to work with young people. This includes ensuring that agency staff have been appropriately vetted, that they have relevant experience of working with young people and that they have received training relevant to working with young people. These shortfalls mean that managers cannot be assured that all staff are suitable for working with

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

vulnerable young people and potentially places young people at risk.  Young people’s risk assessments are not always accurate as some contain contradictory information about the levels of risks identified. This has the potential to affect the delivery of safe care.  The responsible individual has not ensured that return interviews for young people who go missing, are always completed in line with the home’s procedures.  Staff do not always follow procedures relating to the recording of room searches. This has the potential to affect the monitoring of staff practice and identifying further risks.  Although staff actively support young people with their education, they do not always check to ensure that actions agreed in personal education plans have been completed.  Management monitoring systems are not robust and have failed to identify shortfalls found during this inspection.  Six requirements have been made regarding admission practices, young

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

people’s risk assessments, return interviews, the vetting and training of agency staff and management monitoring systems. Three recommendations have been made relating to the recording of room searches, young people’s education and verifying references for new staff.

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The children's home strengths

 Although there have been a number of staff changes since the last full inspection, the current staff team is committed and caring. Young people appear to have good relationships with staff. Multi-agency working is a particular strength of the home. This helps to promote the welfare of young people and reduces some of the risks that they face.  Staff provide good emotional and practical support to young people so that they can maintain relationships with their families, friends and people who are important to them.

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Information about this children's home

This is a local authority children’s home and is registered to care for three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

06/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

14/01/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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What does the children’s home need to do to improve?

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

5. Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met. In order to meet the quality standards, the registered person must ensure that staff

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Requirement Due date

(b) seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the responsible individual must ensure that children receive return interviews after a period of going missing from the home. 07/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard the registered person must ensure that children: (b) have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. This is with specific reference to ensuring that admission practices take into account the needs of the existing group of children and the child being referred to ensure that they are compatible. 07/10/2016

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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 ensure— (2)(a) 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 reference to ensuring that young people’s risk assessments give clear and accurate details of levels of risk and 07/10/2016 actions to take to minimise identified risks.

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Requirement Due date

13 The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must— (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 07/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. This includes obtaining documentary evidence that all the required checks have been obtained for all agency staff used. (Regulation 32 (3)(d)) 07/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. This is with specific reference to ensuring that agency staff have received relevant training on working with young people including safeguarding children training. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 07/10/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Staff need to have the knowledge and skills to understand each child’s education and training targets and their next steps for learning. If a child’s progress is not in line with their agreed targets or next steps, staff should seek expert advice from education professionals, such as the virtual school head, SENCO, learning mentor or teacher. Staff must challenge the child’s education or training provider if the child does not receive sufficient support to progress as outlined in their relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 28, paragraph 5.11)  The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. This is with specific reference to following the home’s procedures

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Recommendations

for the recording of room searches. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that the recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. This is with specific reference to ensuring that all references obtained are verified. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Requires improvement

A judgement of requires improvement has been given because some shortfalls identified have either had an impact on the safety of young people or have the potential to place young people at risk and impact on the quality of care provided. Poor decisions about admissions to the home made by the registered provider have had an impact on some young people and on the stability of the home. Admissions do not always take into account the compatibility of all young people’s needs. On occasions, the registered provider has overridden the views of the registered manager regarding the admission of some young people. This includes insisting on placing a young person in the home on an emergency basis which did not take account of the potential impact on the existing young people. This has had a negative effect on existing young people and has also subjected some young people to new risk-taking behaviours. The police have also expressed concerns

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Requires improvement

about the impact that the admission of some young people have had, including the increased involvement of the police. Young people have detailed care plans, which are outcome focused, and risk assessments. Staff discuss young people’s care regularly, which informs changes to their care records. However, some young people’s risk assessments do not give accurate details of the level of risk identified and, in some instances, information is contradictory. Furthermore, staff do not always record when they carry out room searches. This means that the justification and authorisation of a search is not clear. Young people receive education based on their individualised needs. Attendance is variable dependent on young people’s starting points and their behaviours. For example, one young person’s attendance is affected due to a high number of incidents of being missing from the home. Although staff work well with education

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Requires improvement

provisions they do not always monitor that actions agreed in young people’s personal education plans have been implemented. For example, the registered manager did not know if the agreed actions regarding the use of the pupil premium had been completed for one young person. Young people’s progress is variable. One young person has made good progress given their starting point. This is despite the impact of the extreme behaviours of other young people admitted to the home over the last twelve months. One young person’s progress is slow but evident, taking into account their starting point. However, for another young person, progress is not evident due to their persistent risk-taking behaviours. Young people have good relationships with staff. Young people’s comments made to the inspector demonstrated that they know that staff care about them and do not give up on them. One young person said that he knows ‘his bags’ will not be

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Requires improvement

packed when he returns from going out and that he feels listened to. Another young person told the inspector that he has really good relationships with staff as they respect him. Throughout the inspection, the inspector observed staff providing nurturing support and advice to young people. Staff work very closely with a range of professionals to ensure that they can meet young people’s emotional and physical health needs. A worker from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) team visits the home regularly to provide advice and support to staff, and to work with individual young people. Most young people’s health improves because they access routine health appointments and specialist services. However, the health does not improve for those young people who persistently engage in substance misuse. A young person told the inspector that they will not stop smoking cannabis. Staff provide very good emotional and practical support to young people to

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Requires improvement

maintain and, in some instances, re-establish relationships with their families where appropriate. Staff also give good support to young people to build and maintain relationships with their friends. For example, staff supported a young person so that they were able to go on holiday with his girlfriend and her family. Staff support young people to pursue their individual interests and hobbies, as well as encouraging them to try new activities. This results in young people enjoying their leisure time, and their confidence and social skills improve. Young people said that they feel listened to and evidence from this inspection generally supports this. They are able to contribute to the menus and the decor in the home and decide what activities they want to do. However, some decisions made by the registered provider do not always take into account the views and needs of young people. For example, the bathroom has been removed as part of a

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Requires improvement

refurbishment programme and replaced by ensuite shower rooms. When the inspector asked a young person if there was anything that could be improved in their home, he said to have a bath. He told the inspector how much he liked having a bath as it helps him to relax. Some young people have caused significant damage to the home in the last six months. Repairs have been piecemeal which means that young people have not lived in a pleasant and comfortable environment. However, a refurbishment programme has recently begun. Improvements have been made to the home including the replastering and painting of walls, new curtains and a new stair carpet is on order.

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Requires improvement

Recruitment practices do not fully protect young people from the risk of harm. The registered persons have not ensured that agency staff have had all the required recruitment checks. This means that managers cannot be assured that all staff are suitable to work with vulnerable young people. The registered manager has not verified references for permanent staff employed. The registered manager started to address these shortfalls during this inspection. Staff have struggled to manage some young people’s behaviour. This is despite working closely with a range of professionals to identify different strategies to enable young people to change their risk-taking behaviours. Some young people have caused significant damage to the home and have made no, or very little, progress in changing their behaviours. Incidents of young people going missing remain high. Police involvement has been high since the last inspection, which can

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Requires improvement

be partly attributed to the poor matching of young people’s needs. Staff follow the missing person’s procedures, working closely with the police. However, the responsible individual has not ensured that return interviews have taken place, or that they have taken place within the timescales detailed in the provider’s own procedures. There is evidence to support that the home’s management team is challenging these shortfalls. Staff receive a range of safeguarding training which helps them to understand their responsibilities in reporting any safeguarding concerns and be proactive in instigating risk-management meetings. Notifications received and evidence from this inspection demonstrate that staff refer any child protection concerns promptly to the relevant agencies. This addresses the recommendation made at the previous inspection. Although progress for most young people is not good, comments received from

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Requires improvement

external professionals emphasise that staff are genuinely committed to trying to improve young people’ lives.

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Requires improvement

This inspection identified a number of management shortfalls that have had an impact on, and have the potential to impact on, young people’s care and safety which has resulted in the judgement of requires improvement. The registered provider has made decisions about the admission of some young people without consultation with the registered manager. The decisions made to admit some young people have failed to take into account the needs of the existing group of young people. This has had an impact on their welfare. For example, one young person was encouraged by another young person to try different risk-taking behaviours. Since the last full inspection, five staff have left, which has resulted in agency staff being used. Recruitment of new staff has been ongoing and the majority of posts have now been filled, which has meant less reliance on agency staff. However, the registered persons have not ensured that agency staff have suitable experience

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Requires improvement

and training for working with young people. This has the potential to affect the provision of consistent care and safeguarding of young people. Management monitoring systems have not been robust in identifying shortfalls, which does not ensure that young people are receiving appropriate and safe care. It also hinders staff’s ability to develop and improve services. The registered manager has many years’ experience of working with children in residential care, has relevant qualifications and has been in this post since February 2015. She is very committed to improving the lives of young people, is a ‘hands on’ manager and leads by example. Staff told the inspector that she is very approachable and is always ready to listen. The registered manager and staff team are committed to improving young people’s lives even though outcomes for some young people are poor. The requirement and two recommendations made at the last inspection have been addressed. This

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Requires improvement

includes the registered manager challenging the local authority to find alternative placements where young people are not making progress and/or staff are unable to meet their needs. Although five staff have left since the last full inspection, the remaining staff told the inspector that they enjoy their work and work well as a team. They commented that during the last nine months or so, even though there have been some real challenges in managing some young people’s behaviours, they have ‘stuck together’ and supported each other. This is more likely to result in a more cohesive service and improved outcomes for young people. Staff also commented on how things had improved since the registered manager has been in post. Staff feel well supported by the management team. They receive regular supervision which they find useful. Weekly team meetings enable good communication and consultation with staff as well as regularly reviewing young

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Requires improvement

people’s care. Once a month the allocated CAMHS worker attends team meetings and young people’s social workers are also invited to discuss young people’s individual care. This is good practice and demonstrates a commitment to partnership working. Staff receive a range of training to enable them to meet young people’s needs. Ten staff members have a level 3 qualification in working with children and young people. New staff will be enrolled once they have completed their probationary period. There is a detailed statement of purpose which provides clear information to parents, carers and key stakeholders about the services provided. It is reviewed and updated when required. Partnership working is a key strength and is at the centre of practice and feedback from key professionals supports this. Although the police expressed their concerns about admissions to the home and the behaviours of young people, a police officer

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Requires improvement

commented that staff ‘have remained professional and resilient and have worked with me well.’

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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

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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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