Children's Home run by United Children's Services Limited in Nottinghamshire

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection of the home, shortfalls in staffing arrangements had a negative impact on the progress and experiences of children and young people. There was an over-reliance on agency staff or staff from other homes within the company, and a number of staff were new to the home. As a result of that inspection, two requirements and four recommendations were made.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has successfully addressed all of these, and as a result, the progress and experiences of children and young people in the home have significantly improved. The manager has a full staff team to cover the day shifts, and only relies on an agency to provide a member of staff to work for four nights a week. He has altered the shift patterns so that staff work for longer periods of time in teams of three. Staff are happy with this arrangement and say it provides them with the opportunity to do more activities with the children and young people. A young person also commented positively about the shift patterns, saying it provides more consistency.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is now a core staff team. Some of the staff are still relatively new, but they are gradually gaining experience with the guidance and support of the manager. Those who do not have the required qualification are working towards it. The manager has improved the ethos of the home and emphasised the importance of spending time with children and young people so that positive relationships are forged. Staff say that morale is much improved. One young person said: ‘Staff are amazing. They are really supportive. They always have time for me and they have helped me massively.’ Children and young people comment about the number of activities they do, and one child commented, ‘I have fun times with staff.’ For example, they play pool, they go horse riding, they go swimming and they see their friends and family. Their experiences as a result of the staff changes are now far more positive.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is now more settled and there have been very few incidents in the last three months. The three young people who were present during the last inspection have now left the home. Their discharges were reactive rather than planned, although one was supported for a month on an outreach basis by staff from the home. The manager has identified learning from these placements, which, with hindsight, were not a good match. The staffing situation at the time was an additional factor in the placement breakdowns. There have been three children and young people admitted to the home since then, all of whom are still in situ. These transitions have been managed very well. One young person described how welcoming staff were when she arrived as an emergency admission. She said: ‘The staff were lovely when I arrived. They helped me unpack and put posters up. They did everything they could to help me to stay here.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

In another case, the manager went to meet the child at his home, to get to know him, talk through the children’s guide and make him feel welcome. His social worker said: ‘From day one the home has been very accommodating to try and make it easier for him. They made him feel that they wanted him.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people are making good progress in many areas. A social worker said: ‘He has made so much progress. His behaviour and attitude are much better.’ None of the children and young people were attending school regularly when they arrived. They all now have 100% attendance at school and college. One young person said: ‘I am so proud of myself.’ They are all engaging with the in- house therapists, and they are learning to manage their anger more successfully. The result of this can be demonstrated by the very low number of physical interventions and sanctions.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people have become safer. Children and young people who have been identified as at risk of sexual exploitation and who went missing in their previous placements have not been missing at all since they were admitted to this home. They attribute this to the positive relationships they have with staff. One young person said: ‘I can speak to any of the staff. They are really supportive. I can speak to them because of how they have made me feel. I’m not just another care child. They know me well.’ Children and young people feel listened to. They have regular meetings, in which they voice their opinions and choices. There have been no recent complaints, but two that were made after the last inspection have been dealt with appropriately.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Partnership working is good. The manager and staff have regular contact with the school which two of the children attend. Other partners include the police community support officer, therapists and social workers. One social worker said: ‘The communication is fantastic.’ This ensures that everyone is working consistently in the best interests of children and young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has a good understanding of the home and the progress children and young people are making. He monitors records regularly, spends time with the children and young people, and addresses any external feedback. He has worked hard to bring about the changes and now wants to embed these fully.

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Information about this children’s home

This is one of a group of children’s homes operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for five children and/or young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 12/04/2016 Full Requires improvement

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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 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 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, 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

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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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