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:

 This children’s home provides short-term care and assessment of young people. Staff are highly effective in engaging young people from the start of their placement and building very strong relationships.  Equality and diversity needs are central to all care planning. Staff are proactive and enthusiastic in meeting the particular needs of each young person.  Each young person benefits from a package of care which addresses their unique educational, health and social needs.  Partnership working is very good. A wide range of professionals work alongside the staff team. This multidisciplinary approach improves young people’s outcomes.  Safeguarding arrangements are excellent. Managers and staff work very well with the police, social care, criminal justice and specialist safeguarding agencies. As a result, risks of potential harm are reduced.  Leadership and management arrangements are very good. The registered

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The children’s home provision is good because:

manager and his assistant are an effective management team and provide consistently strong leadership.  This inspection has identified some areas for improvement. These include ensuring that development plans are specific, measurable and promote quality of care in the home. Also, the manager should ensure that the physical environment is maintained to a high standard, as described in the statement of purpose. These are not matters which are currently having an impact on the safety and well-being of 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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13: The leadership and management standard

In order to meet the leadership and management standard: (2) the registered person must ensure that they: (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and deliver the outcomes set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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13: The leadership and management standard

This is with specific reference to the maintenance and standard of the physical environment. 02/12/2016

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13: The leadership and management standard

In order to meet the leadership and management standard: (2) the registered person must ensure that they: (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 02/12/2016

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13: The leadership and management standard

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, specifically points 10, 16 and 17. (Regulation 16 (1)) 02/12/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Many children placed in homes may undergo a difficult transition, and what should be simple aspects of their care takes on a substantial significance in this context. Staff should provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive. Homes must also meet the child’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than an institutional impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a local authority and can accommodate up to four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is a short-term assessment provision where needs are assessed. Young people can remain accommodated for up to a maximum of six months.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/10/2015 Full Good 25/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/10/2014 Full Outstanding

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Good

Young people’s experiences and overall progress are very good. A young person said: ‘Living here is 10 out of 10. I am happy here.’ Feedback from professionals regarding young people’s experiences and progress is also positive. A social worker commented: ‘Staff invest time in young people, which is the key to them making progress.’ A mother said that the progress of her son was ‘Amazing!’ The progress and experience of young people are positive. This is because the home is a stable environment in which young people can settle and focus on their futures.

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Good

A key strength of the home is the ability of the staff team to forge positive relationships quickly with young people. The staff are all highly skilled and knowledgeable in developing rapport at an early stage of a placement. They are cohesive and work as a team. All young people speak warmly about staff members.

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Good

The care planning process promotes the unique needs of young people. Care, placement and behaviour management plans are detailed and comprehensive. This provides staff with clear guidance on how to deliver appropriate care to each young person. In some cases, the specific care needs of young people are not known in detail. This is because some young people have no prior history in care. In these circumstances, staff generally develop care plans as needs are identified. However, there has been an example when staff have not formulated effective plans to ensure that the personal care needs of a young person are fully addressed.

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Good

Staff are sensitive and knowledgeable about the identity needs of young people. The team is diverse, with a range of age, gender, and cultural and ethnic backgrounds. This diversity provides young people with positive role models and a range of individuals with whom they may identify.

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Good

Placement matching ensures that young people are compatible with each other. Young people confirm good and positive relationships with each other. When young people are new to the home, staff and residents ensure a warm and friendly welcome. Some young people maintain friendships with ex-residents and frequently socialise, study and spend time together. These friendships mean that young people expand their social skills and interactions.

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Good

From their starting points, all young people make progress with their bespoke educational plans. Some young people came to the home with a history of poor school attendance. Over a period of time, and with strong staff support, they have progressed to attend alternative education and work training programmes. Other young people, who are new to this country, have started college, achieved 100% attendance and are making excellent progress. A headteacher said that the staff are: ‘Excellent. They are a cracking team.’

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Good

Strong links with healthcare providers mean that young people have easy access to a range of healthcare provision. Routine health appointments are encouraged in order to ensure that young people are in overall good health. When young people fail to attend or they refuse medical attention, staff are persistent in offering alternatives. When appropriate, staff help young people to address drug and alcohol misuse by referring them to specialist services. Support, guidance and advice from staff ensure that young people have improved overall health outcomes. The staff team works in partnership work with child and adolescent mental health services. Young people are encouraged and supported to engage in direct therapeutic work. In addition, consultation sessions with mental health professionals help staff to develop a better understanding of how to support young people. A mental health professional said: ‘We work very well together. Staff

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Good

communicate really well. I know what is happening with young people on a day-to- day basis. The staff team works creatively and has good strategies to support young people.’ This collaboration means that young people benefit from improved psychological and emotional well-being.

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Good

Consultation with young people is a routine function of the home. Weekly residents meetings are difficult to convene because of conflicting timetables. However, one- to-one sessions and questionnaires about the quality of their care provide a good source of feedback. Young people confirm that they are involved in the review of care plans. As a result of good consultation, young people feel listened to and valued.

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Outstanding

Many young people admitted to this home have a history of risk-taking behaviours and safeguarding concerns. On arrival, clear multidisciplinary strategies to manage risk are agreed upon. From the outset of the placement, risk-taking behaviours are significantly reduced. Young people are encouraged to reflect on their behaviours and to be involved in plans to keep them safe. All young people who live at this home confirm that they feel safe. Staff teach them to keep safe and there is no bullying. Questionnaires completed by young people who have left the home all confirm a strong sense of safety during their time at the home. Social care professionals are unanimous in stating that staff work hard to safeguard young people. Since the last inspection, there have been very few safeguarding incidents. When safeguarding issues occur, the highly knowledgeable and well-trained management and staff teams immediately respond. They implement relevant child protection

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Outstanding

procedures and collaborate with safeguarding professionals. This seamless response means that risks are managed well and young people are safeguarded from potential harm. Relationships with the designated police officer are highly positive. The police officer described the staff and management team as: ‘A very proactive team that will go out of its way to gain skills if needed.’ Police officers also say that there is excellent safeguarding practice in relation to young people who have complex needs and particularly high risks.

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Outstanding

The response to young people who are absent or missing from the home is in accordance with local and national protocols. When young people at high risk are missing from the home, staff share individual protocols with the police. This means that the police understand the vulnerability of young people. Consequently, police can prioritise their responses to protect young people. Staff expertise means that, from the moment that a young person is absent, all agencies are actively involved in locating the young person. Young people reduce their incidents of missing from care because staff listen to their views. Staff work with them to find practical and safe solutions to prevent them from running away.

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Outstanding

Behaviour management is a key strength of this home. All staff have physical intervention training but, because of excellent skills in distraction and de-escalating incidents, there have been no interventions since the last inspection. Staff use praise, reward and incentives to shape behaviours. Young people respond positively and learn how to regulate their own behaviours.

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Outstanding

Staff have undertaken a range of safeguarding training. They all have expertise in recognising the signs of child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. They have excellent levels of understanding about how young people in the home are vulnerable. Staff are alert to risks, especially in relation to internet use and when young people are missing from the home. This means that staff are vigilant and that young people’s safety is at the forefront of staff practice.

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Outstanding

The physical environment is safe. Health and safety checks, including fire equipment and drills, are current and environmental risks assessments are in place. The prescribed level of public and employee liability insurance is in place.

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Good

The registered manager and his assistant have substantial experience of children’s residential care. They both have appropriate qualifications and show a commitment to ongoing learning. The responsible individual for the home provides senior leadership. Their combined knowledge and experience ensure high standards of care and improved outcomes for young people. Since the last inspection, managers have worked to address the identified shortfalls. Arrangements for recording self-injurious behaviours are now in a separate file. This makes monitoring more effective. Improved independence assessment and planning mean that young people leave the home with improved self-care skills. These changes show that managers are effective in promoting improvement. Developments to the home environment include the fitting of new doors throughout the interior of the ground floor. These additions greatly improve the appearance of the home. However, a structured programme of improvement is

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Good

necessary to improve the appearance of the home further.

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Good

In isolated areas, the home environment does not reflect the description within the statement of purpose: ‘ The interior and exterior of the home are maintained to a good state of structural and decorative repair.’ This inspection identified areas of the home which require immediate attention. These include broken window locks, badly damaged double glazing panels, graffiti and burn marks to furniture. This does not provide a welcoming appearance and requires immediate attention.

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Good

There is a need for continued work to ensure that the home provides a domestic environment by reducing certain features, such as municipal-style lighting, metal kick-plates on doors and an abundance of fire evacuation signs, which can give an institutional appearance.

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Good

The leadership and management team endeavours to improve the quality of care within the home. However, development plans are not sufficiently detailed. Plans do not include information relating to the impact of care on the progress and experience of young people. Additionally, proposed actions do not have clear timescales, therefore improvement is not easily measureable.

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Good

The home has a stable and highly experienced staff team. It provides consistent support to the young people. All staff have up-to-date training and receive a comprehensive training package. This gives them the skills and knowledge to provide good-quality care for the young people.

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Good

Staff benefit from regular supervision. Supervision is reflective and gives staff opportunities to consider both their practice and the impact on them of working with young people who can display very challenging behaviour. Team meetings are used effectively to reflect on how well the staff are working together to support young people.

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Good

Excellent professional relationships between the home and a large number of partner agencies mean that young people are able to access a range of services. Social care professionals consistently commend managers and staff for their ability to secure the best possible services for all young people.

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Good

Managers are appropriately and professionally assertive. They ensure that professionals understand the remit of the home. In circumstances when placement planning deviates from the home’s purpose or ethos, managers advocate on behalf of young people to ensure that care provision is appropriate to their individual needs. Professionals, parents, staff and young people confirm that the home is achieving the aims and objectives set out in the statement of purpose. However, the statement of purpose does not contain all matters required under regulation.

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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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