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 last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home continues to provide good care and support to the young people who live here, and most are making good progress. However, at times the dynamics of the group have provided challenge, and as a result, the experiences of some of the young people are not as good as they should be. One young person said: ‘I don’t like it here.’ For example, there have been disturbances at night and damage to the environment. The manager is fully aware of the impact this has had on the young people and is in the process of addressing it.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Relationships between staff and young people are good. One young person said the best thing about the home is ‘the staff’. A stakeholder commented in relation to a young person: ‘Staff have got his needs sussed. They know him well and support him well.’ Staff provide encouragement, support, and nurturing care, and as a result, young people have made progress in a variety of ways. One young person commented that his self-confidence had improved since being at this home. Another felt he had become more independent and mature. Social workers are confident that staff are meeting the needs of the young people in their care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All young people have educational or employment placements. For some, attendance is more sporadic than it should be, but for others, their attendance is excellent. Staff are diligent in promoting this. An education professional commented: ‘They do everything they can to get them there. They work really hard to encourage them.’ Health needs are also well met and there is good liaison with all relevant agencies. Individual activities are well promoted and all young people have weekly planners. Contact with family and friends is also well supported.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, one young person has left the home. This was a planned move to independent living, and staff provided outreach following the move, to enable her to settle. One young person has been admitted to the home, and this was also a planned move, including a pre-admission visit and good information- sharing.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has good oversight of the home. She monitors placement plans and actions plans on a regular basis, and her oversight is evident in the comments she makes about these, and how they can be improved. Daily handovers, regular team meetings, supervision and discussions with young people also provide additional avenues of information. She knows where improvements need to be made and has plans to address these. She can also demonstrate where practice has improved for the benefit of young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Safeguarding is given a high priority. One stakeholder commented: ‘They are fantastic at safeguarding.’ Currently none of the young people are known to be at risk of sexual exploitation, although staff are aware of the associated risk factors. One young person has had a number of unauthorised absences, and a strategy meeting was recently held to discuss how best to support and protect the person concerned. Behaviour is generally well managed, using incentives and proactive behaviour management strategies. However, there was a recent significant incident that required the involvement of the police, as a young person was putting other young people and staff at serious risk. This was dealt with appropriately but Ofsted was not notified of this incident as required by regulation. Consequently, the regulator was not able to assess at the time that the actions of the manager were sufficient to provide adequate safeguards. Physical intervention is rare, and when

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

used, it is appropriate and subject to managerial oversight.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Partnership working continues to be effective. Social workers comment that communication is good and they are kept informed of their young person’s progress. This is enhanced by monthly network meetings that give all partners the opportunity to get together regularly to consider how they can best meet each young person’s ongoing support needs. This also holds each agency to account. In addition, serious incident meetings are arranged if required, to facilitate a multi- agency approach to managing emerging challenges. There are good links with the virtual school, and their expertise is accessed appropriately to promote educational outcomes. Parents are also satisfied with the level of communication. One parent said: ‘They let me know anything I need to know. We deal with things together.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two requirements and three recommendations were made at the last inspection. These have been addressed, and practice has therefore improved in these areas. Young people now have keys to their rooms, and as a result they can access their bedrooms without having to ask staff for assistance. This gives them more independence and flexibility. Their files now contain the required documents to enable staff to have the most up-to-date information to provide good and appropriate care and support. The manager has a systematic approach to ensuring young people receive feedback following house meetings, so they know their views have been considered. Return interviews are offered on a more consistent basis following any unauthorised absences from the home, and records of these interviews are maintained to inform staff of any additional actions they need to take in order to minimise the likelihood of these events occurring in the future.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are safer as a result. The workforce plan has been updated to give a more accurate reflection of staff training and development needs to further assure their competence.

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Information about this children's home

This is a local authority children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for six children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 14/06/2016 Full Good 30/09/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/04/2015 Full Requires improvement 03/12/2014 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(b)) 10/02/2017

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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, 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

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

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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