Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Rotherham

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness . The staff team is committed to working with young people, wanting to provide them with good care and positive experiences to support their progress. Young people’s experiences and progress since the last inspection have varied. Those in placement for some time make progress. They are engaging in education, present positive behaviour, keep themselves safe and have rebuilt positive family contact. They benefit from and participate in a number of social activities, extending their daily life experiences. Those young people more recently admitted are just starting to settle into their home. They have started getting to know the staff who care for them and to form attachments. The team’s approach focuses on supporting young people’s emotional well-being and keeping them safer. The therapeutic team supports staff members’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

work with young people. Young people said that they get on with staff. Staff seek their views and opinions regularly. One young person said: ‘I chose to go to Flamingo Land,’ and another commented: ‘We got to choose the new settees for the lounge. We say each week what we want on the menu and what activities we want to do.’ However, one young person did not think that their cultural and religious needs are met in full. A requirement and two recommendations set at the last inspection have been met. Young people’s wishes and feelings about their placement are sought. Key-working sessions take place in line with placement plans, and staff keep clear and accurate daily logs recordings. Staff demonstrate a good awareness of the individual risks to young people and the action that they must take to reduce or eliminate these. This mirrors the regularly reviewed written risk assessments. However, the chronology section of the risk assessment is not always updated

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

promptly. Room searches take place, but the frequency of these has not been reviewed after recent incidents. This does not fully inform and equip staff with all the information required to support and care for the young person. Young people are safer, with missing-from-home episodes reducing over time. Staff follow the missing-from-home protocols with the exception of return-home interviews. These have not taken place in all instances. This does not ensure the effective evaluation of such events, to prevent further missing-from-care incidents. Young people benefit from incentives and rewards. These promote positive behaviour. However, in some instances the sanctions used are not always proportionate. They do not reflect the behaviour presented and are not routinely restorative in nature. The manager has not monitored the records in a timely manner to evaluate their effectiveness. Since the last inspection, there have been three incidents involving allegations of

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

staff misconduct. The provider has promptly investigated these matters. Where required, they have taken suitable action to safeguard young people and to prevent such events occurring again. The majority of staff hold a level 3 diploma in caring for young people. They receive mandatory training in a number of areas, which include first aid, child protection, behaviour management and health and safety. A number of staff have undertaken training in self-harm, and others are booked to undertake this training. However, this training needs to include ways in which staff should respond to self- harm incidents that involve the use of ligatures. The staff team has experience of working with young people. Staffing levels are appropriate, with care of young people being in line with their placement plans and risk assessments. However, there has been a depleted senior team for a few months. There are senior worker vacancies, and the deputy manager has spent the

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

majority of her time working in the sister home to the service. On occasion, this has affected communication between members of the staff team. This has affected the monitoring of aspects of the service. The provider had taken action to address these shortfalls prior to the inspection, but now needs to sustain this progress.

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Information about this children's home

The privately owned registered children’s home can accommodate up to three children or young people. The home may provide care and accommodation for children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/05/2016 Full Good 03/11/2015 Full Good

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Statutory requirements

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

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Requirement Due date

35. Behaviour management policies and records 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 − the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and within 48 hours of the use of the measure, 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, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) In order to meet this regulation, the manager must evaluate the effectiveness of the consequence and consider a restorative approach. 28/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

12. The protection of children standard (1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure − (b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(b)) In particular, they should review and update risk assessments fully after each serious risk-taking incident. 28/10/16

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Children should be able to maintain and develop their cultural or religious beliefs as far as practicable and where appropriate, through participation and instruction, and by observing religious requirements including dress and diet. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.22)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. When there are safeguarding concerns for the child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps that the manager should take to address any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5). In

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Recommendations

particular, they should update the chronology after each event and amend the steps taken to reduce risk in relation to self-harm and room searches.  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11). In particular, they should further extend training in self-harm to include the use of ligatures.  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return-home interview. The home should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risk and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45,

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Recommendations

paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with each child, the home’s staff, each family/carer, where appropriate, and professionals involved in the care or protection of each child, including their social worker, independent reviewing officer, teachers, clinicians and other health professionals. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) In particular, they should continue to improve the home’s monitoring systems in order to identify omissions within the service and ensure effective staff communication.

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection, we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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

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