Children's Home run by Grace Care Limited in Nottingham

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people make exceptional progress in many areas.  Staff understand young people’s learning disabilities and how they might impact on progress. They continually look for better ways of working that positively influence young people’s development.  Resources for activities are plentiful and add considerably to young people’s enjoyment of life.  Young people are always encouraged to aim high. They make significantly better progress because they live in this home.  There is a very positive, open safeguarding culture. Staff are very eager to learn about better ways of working. They reflect on all events and still want to learn more, even when things go well.  Work with parents and carers is very sensitively delivered because staff understand the importance of joint working. Young people maintain very positive relationships with people that are important to them.  Staff know what works well for young people and share this with other

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

professionals. This work is so good that it influences other professionals in their thinking about their own approaches.  Young people’s progress in education is always maximised. Staff foresee problems and work extremely creatively to break down barriers to learning.  Improvements are needed to the arrangements for administering medicines. This is in particular relation to ensuring that controlled drugs are administered in line with appropriate guidance. Furthermore, young people are sometimes restricted in their freedom of movement around the home. This should only be the case after rigorous assessment.

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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 suitable arrangements are made to manage the administration and disposal of any medication (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15). This is in particular relation to the home’s policy and practice for the handling of controlled drugs, which should be reviewed.  Ensure that any means of mechanical restraint follows a rigorous assessment process and, as with any restraint, is necessary and proportionate. Whenever such a restraint is planned, it should be identified with a broad-ranging, robust behaviour support plan, which aims to bring about the circumstances when continued use of such restraint will no longer be required. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to care for three young people who have learning disabilities. It is privately owned.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

25/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

17/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Outstanding

Young people who have disabilities and complex needs are supported extremely well. Staff are fully aware of the extent of each young person’s needs and how they should be met. Parents, carers and placing authorities are extremely positive about young people’s outcomes. One parent reported that the home is ‘wonderful’. Care planning is very strong. Each young person is viewed very positively by staff, whatever their disability or behaviour, and young people’s individuality is cherished. Young people enjoy a homely, warm and nurturing environment. Young people build their confidence because of the ethos of respect. They like the staff and say that they are kind. High staffing ratios allow for individual activities to be pursued. Staff ensure that young people access their own community as much as possible. Young people’s interests are nurtured so that they learn about what they are good at and what they enjoy. Staffing and resources are very well

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Outstanding

organised. This enables young people to enjoy their lives and ensures that they can access any activity, whatever their disability. Young people take part in experiences that they would not have accessed if it were not for their placement at this home. Some young people have been on holidays, aeroplane flights, train trips and horse riding. There is a feeling of ‘aiming high’ and that nothing is out of reach for any young person. Highly organised and effective care planning ensures that young people are always at the centre of the home. The approach continually seeks and incorporates their views and opinions. The focus on individuality is so high that there is even a clear record made of the reasons why young people’s wishes are not able to be met. Young people make excellent progress because of the close working relationships with their parents. Staff are very sensitive to parents’ wishes. They understand the

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Outstanding

importance of young people developing and continuing relationships with people that are important to them. One carer reported, ‘It’s like team work and that’s very important.’ Staff seek to understand how the young person sees their position in their family and to help them to make sense of why they are living in a children’s home. This is extremely difficult because some young people’s learning disability can limit their understanding of their complex situation. However, staff understand the complexity of young people’s emotional issues, and how these impact on their behaviour. They work creatively to foresee problems before they arise. Young people’s complex behaviour at times impacts on their progress in education. However, staff seek every opportunity to prevent problems and to break down barriers to learning. They know what works well to assist young people in their learning. They help other professionals to see better approaches that enable young

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Outstanding

people to move forward. Thus, their education engagement vastly improves. Staff practice is so good in this area that it is worthy of sharing with others. Parents, carers and social workers all confirm that education progress is as positive as it can be. One said, ‘Education is fantastic.’ Young people’s health conditions are very effectively managed, and close monitoring ensures that all changes to health are noticed straight away. Very good liaison with medical professionals ensures a clear approach to health conditions, which protects young people’s health. Young people receive their medicines at the right time and are supported to see the importance of this. Most medicines are stored, administered and recorded appropriately, but the arrangements for controlled drugs should be improved to ensure that appropriate guidance is met. Staff routinely check the medication after it has been ‘potted up’, rather than

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Outstanding

checking the medicine against the correct label. This increases the chance of an error because they cannot confirm which bottle the medication has come from. Young people make so much progress that they leave the home extremely well prepared for their next stage in life. They become more resilient, more able to accept help from others, such as health professionals, and more confident. Young people leave knowing that they have a say in their own care and in other aspects of life. They become more resilient and confident to represent their own views. They know that they can and should complain if the need arises, because they are taught that their opinions are valuable.

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Good

Young people are safe because staff always have their safety as a top priority. Any concerns are shared with appropriate professionals, so that they can make effective and well-informed decisions. There is a strong safeguarding ethos, and staff are good at reflecting openly on their practice. Other professionals welcome this approach, which adds significantly to the already strong safeguarding culture. Staff feel able to challenge one another and, even when safeguarding practice has been good, they still look at how this could be further improved. Staff have been robustly checked by the organisation prior to starting work. This reduces the risk of any unsuitable adults working in the home. Staff performance is closely monitored and, when concerns arise, these are dealt with quickly through the home’s personnel procedures. This approach promotes high standards of care. Restraints only happen when there is a need to keep young people safe. There are

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Good

always staff on duty who are trained in the home’s chosen approach. Staff are very clear that the behaviour management approach is positive. Rewards, sanctions and praise are used effectively. There are some examples of a young person’s freedom of movement being restricted. Although this is only used to reduce the need for further physical intervention, it is not carefully risk assessed, monitored or regularly reviewed with all professionals involved. The registered manager has already taken steps to address this, but further work is needed to demonstrate that such restrictions are always carefully considered. Risk assessment works extremely well. The documents fully capture each young person’s vulnerabilities and identify strategies to minimise risk. Staff know the information exceedingly well and are skilled at identifying potential risk factors. When significant events occur, there is a rigorous response from staff who always

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Good

ensure that they escalate any concerns to their manager and to other relevant professionals. This enables proper consideration of the next steps. When a young person recently became very challenging in the community and ran away from staff, staff’s response was highly effective in keeping the young person safe. The reflective approach from staff has allowed for further improvements to be made.

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Good

Staff feel well supported and well led, and enjoy their jobs. All sign up to a culture of reflection, progress and development, ensuring that there is a continuous momentum of improvement in all aspects of the home’s operation. The organisation employs an independent person to visit the home monthly and to complete a report. When issues are identified, these are quickly put right. The staff team has changed significantly since the last full inspection. The newly developed team is growing in experience, knowledge and skill. The staff team profile is good, and there are staff from a range of different backgrounds, offering different skills. For example, some are trained social workers and some have a background working overseas and in nursery provisions. Induction and training are undertaken swiftly, to ensure staff competence from an early stage. Training is basic but fully equips staff with the skills that they need to care for the young

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Good

people well. The manager has plans in place to ensure that staff training develops further. Communication with other professionals, parents and carers is very good. Parents and carers are particularly happy with the information that they receive from the home. A social worker praised the home, explaining that, during a particularly difficult time for one young person, ‘communication was good’. They also reflected on the quality of the information that they receive and said, ‘Monthly reports are massive. Really good.’ The high level of quality information available to other professionals enables them to fully identify any difficulties so that progress is never hindered. The manager is very able to run this children’s home. Although already suitably qualified, she is completing her diploma level 5 in management. She is absolutely committed to young people’s development. There are some very positive comments about her leadership including, ‘You can ring her anytime’, and ‘She is

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Good

great.’ She effectively leads the team to ensure that high-quality care is delivered at all times. Her robust monitoring identifies shortfalls before they become big problems. One social worker reported that the manager ‘looks at patterns and trends well’. She is one step ahead, foreseeing any difficulties that might arise for young people.

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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’.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or that 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 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 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 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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