Children's home run by Nottingham City Council in Nottingham

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:

 The senior leadership and management team works closely with the registered manager to promote the welfare and safeguarding needs of all young people.  A highly effective registered manager and deputy manager ensure that young people benefit from good-quality and cohesive care.  Close joint work with multidisciplinary teams provides specialist support to address the unique needs of each young person.  A resilient and skilled staff team perseveres to provide consistent care to all young people. This is regardless of the complex and challenging needs that young people sometimes have.  Safeguarding practice is excellent. The response to young people who go missing, or who may be at risk of exploitation or radicalisation, is very effective. Risk-taking behaviours cease or reduce, over time.  Managers and staff develop creative approaches to support young people with their health, education and social needs.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 There are several areas that the home needs to address to promote further improvement. The statement of purpose should include all matters listed in the regulations. Staff should undertake training in relation to anxiety disorders. Managers should ensure that young people participate in more systematic consultation and have a choice of independent advocates. Lastly, the home should ensure that all young people improve their educational engagement.

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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

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’) which covers the matters listed in schedule 1. (Regulation 16(1)) 23/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard: (2) The registered person must— (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to ensuring that all staff have training in managing anxiety disorders. 23/11/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  All children must have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible this should be provided by a person whom the child chooses. Children looked after are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  Children should be in full-time education while they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or

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Recommendations

other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school (or alternative provision), unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home that provides care for up to two children and young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/09/2015 Full Good 01/09/2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/05/2014 Full Adequate

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Good

Young people who live in this home have a range of different needs. Care plans, placement plans, risk assessments and behaviour management plans are comprehensive, detailed and up to date. All plans fully consider needs relating to young people’s cultural background and personal identity. Regular reviews of plans ensure that young people receive consistent care that is responsive to changes in circumstances. This enables the multidisciplinary team to have clarity to provide care which is responsive to the needs of young people. Managers and staff fluently describe young people’s plans, which demonstrates their in-depth knowledge of each young person.

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Good

Not all young people say that they are happy, living at the children’s home. When young people are unhappy with their care plans, they have access to easily accessible complaints procedures. When young people are reluctant to make a complaint about their care, managers advocate on their behalf. An independent advocate routinely visits the home to listen to the views of young people. To improve the methods of consultation, young people should be able to have a choice of advocate. Additionally, routine consultation with young people would further support improved engagement.

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Good

Young people are provided with a range of educational programmes. When they do not engage in educational programmes, staff are creative and persistent in providing alternatives and encouraging them to participate. In some cases, young people achieve near 100% attendance. In other cases, despite the diligent efforts of staff that have led to slight improvements, participation in education remains poor. Strengthening of educational outcomes requires an increase in the hours of educational activity, either through attendance at school or an alternative structured educational activity. Young people receive support and advice from staff to ensure that they are healthy. When young people do not wish to attend routine health appointments or refuse medical attention, staff are persistent in offering alternatives. When appropriate, young people learn how drugs, alcohol and cigarettes might have a negative impact on their health. This leads to improved overall health outcomes for

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Good

young people. The staff team works in partnership with mental health services. Young people are encouraged and supported to engage in direct therapeutic work. In addition, staff actively engage with mental health professionals to learn specific methods of working with young people. Mental health professionals commend the staff team for its creativity, enthusiasm and commitment to develop new skills. This means that young people benefit from improved psychological and emotional well-being. When care plans allow, all young people benefit from staff support to have meaningful contact with their families. This means that young people maintain their family identity and family relationships. One relative of a young person commented: ‘The staff are fantastic. They have worked really hard to help me and to help her by keeping me included in and informed about her care.’

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Good

Safeguarding takes the highest priority in this home. When young people engage in risk-taking behaviour, staff are tenacious in their efforts to ensure the protection of young people. They persevere with young people, irrespective of the challenges that they present. Over time, this results in a reduction in risk-taking behaviours. Managers and staff have excellent levels of safeguarding knowledge. They participate in a range of safeguarding training, including on the prevention of radicalisation, sexual exploitation and self-harm. The application of this knowledge to practice has been highly effective in reducing risks.

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Good

Staff collaborate with a diverse group of social care professionals. Social workers, police and youth offending teams have confidence in the skills and expertise of the staff team. One social worker said: ‘Staff know what they are doing; they know the policies and procedures, and act on all incidents.’ Effective multi-agency work ensures that young people are safe from potential harm.

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Good

All young people report that they feel safe and have become increasingly safe, because of the care provided. One young person who has left the care of the home said, ‘I haven’t been easy to care for. I didn’t want help. I didn’t want to be in care. But staff have always been there to keep me safe. They still do!’ Incidents of young people being away from the home without authorisation or missing from care are being reduced. When young people go missing from the home, staff fully implement the missing from care policy and protocols. This means that they minimise risks to young people and quickly identify their whereabouts. When they return to the home, young people are always offered by staff a ‘return interview’ with an independent person or the social worker. When young people refuse, staff talk with young people to find out more about the reasons for such behaviours. A designated police officer confirmed that staff are vigilant and

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Good

proactive in their approach to protecting young people.

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Good

Behaviour management approaches are highly effective and result in young people developing less damaging ways to express their feelings. Over time, they learn to regulate their own behaviours. There has been only one incident of physical intervention since the last inspection. This is testament to effective behaviour management strategies.

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Good

The quality of the leadership and management of the home is very good. The registered manager and her assistant manager have substantial relevant experience of residential childcare. They both have suitable qualifications to provide effective leadership for this home. The responsible individual supervises and provides strong support to the registered manager. Consequently, a strong and well-qualified management team leads the home.

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Good

The leadership and management team works alongside a range of professionals to manage complex situations. Occasionally, legal and social care processes govern care-planning arrangements. This has led to a situation where one young person’s long-term plans remain uncertain. The young person has expressed to managers his unhappiness about living in a children’s home. The registered manager coordinates external services and manages her staff team to provide bespoke care for this young person. She endeavours to make his experience at this home as positive as possible. Social care professionals are unanimous in their praise for the package of care provided for this young person. The registered manager has been tenacious in escalating concerns and advocating to meet the needs of the young person. Managers have a clear insight into the strengths of the home and areas for development. They quality assure the home through rigorous internal auditing.

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Good

Additionally, monthly visits by independent visitors provide robust external monitoring. Managers implement development plans to assist them in coordinating and implementing positive change.

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Good

Regular reflective supervision and bi-annual appraisals ensure the rigorous evaluation of staff performance. Additionally, a comprehensive training programme underpins the continuous professional development of staff. A shortfall identified in this inspection relates to staff not receiving training in relation to anxiety disorders. Staff would benefit from this specialist training to complement the work already undertaken by child and adolescent mental health teams. However, the combined processes of supervision and training ensure that young people benefit from high standards of care. The statement of purpose is not fully in accordance with regulation. It is a comprehensive, accessible and informative document, but it does not contain all matters set out in regulation. However, social care professionals confirm that the home is operating in accordance with the aims of the statement of purpose.

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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’. 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 0300 123 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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