Children's Home run by Derby City Council in Derby

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 progress that children and young people make while living in this home continues to be good. In respect of one child who has highly complex needs and who has moved into the home since the last inspection, his social worker said: ‘He is calmer, more relaxed, much more communicative and able to engage with professionals. This is as a result of the positive relationships he has built up with staff, and consistent responses to his behaviours. He is now feeling safe and secure, something he had not experienced before.’ Another young person who has lived in the home for some time is also doing very well. His independent reviewing officer commented: ‘He is very settled. He feels cared for. He is doing so much more educationally than he has in years. His confidence and self-esteem [have]

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

grown, and his life chances have really improved.’ Feedback from professionals in respect of the efforts of staff to engage with and help and support children and young people is very good. One social worker summed up the views of others. She said: ‘The staff go above and beyond. They have succeeded in engaging this young person where no other professional had succeeded.’ The supportive environment that staff create provides children and young people with the stability and security that they need and deserve. Although there is a high number of missing incidents for one young person, the duration and frequency of these are reducing and she is becoming safer. Her social worker explained: ‘She is safer here as she has got people who care about her welfare and never give up looking for her when she goes missing. They show they care and she has felt able to share things about her life with staff she trusts. The

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

actions of staff and information gathered by them [have] really improved her safety.’ Following missing-from-care incidents, although return-home interviews occur in the vast majority of cases, the outcomes of these are not always shared promptly with the staff in the home. Although there is no evidence that this has had an impact on this young person’s safety to date, not having sight of the outcomes means that there are potential missed opportunities to learn from them and reduce risk further. Staff help children and young people to develop improved relationships with their families, something which is extremely important to them. As a result of the help and support provided, three children and young people have successfully returned to live at home since the last inspection. Once they had returned home, packages of outreach support continued. This helped children, young people and their parents adjust to their changes in circumstance with positive outcomes.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers and staff have a good understanding of the home’s safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures. In response to two allegations made against staff, staff at all levels prioritised the welfare and safety of children and young people. The allegations were promptly reported to the appropriate people, and interim safeguarding arrangements were agreed. Investigations then followed, resulting in no areas of concern being identified. The manager’s and staff members’ good understanding of safeguarding and their practices reduce the risk of harm to children and young people. The registered manager continues to provide strong leadership to the home. Since the last inspection, she has addressed three requirements with a resulting positive impact. Specifically, recording and management oversight in relation to physical interventions have improved, action has been taken to ensure that only suitably qualified staff are working in the home and case files now hold all the local

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

authority paperwork that staff need in order to fully meet the aims of each child’s or young person’s individual plan. All staff have completed mandatory and some additional training to enhance their skill, knowledge and understanding of children and young people. However, failure to keep a newly implemented training matrix limits management oversight of this. Additionally, despite one recently admitted child having a diagnosis of autism, not all staff members have had formal training in this area. Although clear placement and behaviour support plans guide staff and help to ensure that this child’s needs are met, this lack of formal training limits staff understanding and insight into this issue. This ultimately has the potential to limit the effectiveness of practice.

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for five children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

30/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

05/12/2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) 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

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, with specific reference to training in relation to autism. 10/02/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that every effort is made so that the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for a child to have a return-home interview after they have been missing from care or away from the home without permission. The home should take account of the information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the workforce plan includes any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and is used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff, including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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

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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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