Children's home run by Nottinghamshire County Council

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 judges that it has improved effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the manager has made considerable progress in monitoring and improving the quality of care provided to young people. As a result, the six requirements and three recommendations made at the last inspection are met. Shortfalls identified at the last inspection related to ensuring the safe recruitment of staff, staff training, poor admissions procedures, lack of challenge in relation to young people’s education and inaccuracies in young people’s risk assessments. In addition, there were both a lack of return interviews following episodes of missing from care and oversights in following the room search procedure. Management monitoring systems had failed to pick up the shortfalls identified at the last inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Measures taken to address the last requirements and recommendations include clear records of recruitment documentation, including identification information, being held at the home for agency members of staff. The manager has implemented a new system for verifying staff references. These measures help to ensure that suitable people are working with the young people. Agency staff have undertaken basic safeguarding training in the form of a workbook, to be further strengthened by face-to-face training planned for later in the year.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Admission practice and procedures have improved with the use of more effective matching documents. This helps to ensure that there is better compatibility between the young people who come to live at the home and existing residents. One young person has left the home for an alternative placement since the last inspection. A new young person’s move to the home has been well managed. The need for room searches to be performed is clearly recorded and in line with the home’s procedure. The number of episodes of young people going missing from care has decreased significantly since the last inspection, and young people now have the opportunity for missing from home interviews from an independent person.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Risk assessment documentation has improved, and gives clear and accurate details of levels of risk and actions to take to minimise those risks, meaning that staff are better able to understand and meet young people’s needs. Effective partnership working to find more suitable education arrangements has meant that one young person has made significant academic progress and is aiming high. The young person said, ‘I’m going to do my GCSEs’. Managers have used learning from shortfalls identified previously to improve the implementation of policies and procedures at the home. Young people have positive experiences and have opportunities to improve their life chances.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All young people have made good, and in some cases exceptional, progress since the last inspection. They respond well to the consistent care and nurturing that they receive. Positive relationships with the dedicated staff team and the comprehensive implementation of care plans mean that young people’s engagement with staff members has increased, their offending has decreased, they cause less damage and they engage more positively with education plans. In the three months since his admission, one young person has made significant improvements in his personal hygiene, diet and self-esteem, and has developed a positive rapport with staff. These are considerable positive changes in relation to his starting point.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The safety of young people is a priority for staff. Staff are vigilant in their supervision of young people when they are at the home, and there are plans and strategies to help to ensure their safety when they are away from the home, such as remaining in contact via mobile phones. A young person told the inspector that he understood how to use the complaints procedure, but would prefer to speak directly to a member of staff or the manager if he had any concerns. This demonstrates young people’s trust in the adults who care for them.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some young people remain at risk from alcohol and substance misuse, despite the best efforts of staff and the involvement of a variety of agencies. There is close partnership working between the staff team and health agencies, such as the looked after children’s nurse, mental health services and a substances misuse worker. This helps to provide a holistic approach to healthcare. However, on one occasion when there was a suspicion that a young person had taken controlled medication that was not prescribed for him, staff failed to contact medical services for advice in a timely way. Although the young person was unharmed, this lack of action could have had significant consequences for the young person’s health.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The majority of the staff hold the appropriate childcare qualification. They receive regular opportunities in team meetings to review their practice. This gives them an opportunity to reflect on significant events and review young people’s risk assessments. There is generally a good level of record keeping and the manager has effective systems in place to ensure that she has oversight of the functioning of the home, the progress of young people and where things need to improve. However, not all records have sufficient detail and some lack consistency between different formats, such as the paper and electronic versions. In addition, the action taken following room searches and the detailed analysis of self-harm incidents are not always clearly evidenced. A recommendation is made to ensure that all recording is accurate, up to date and clear.

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home and is registered to care for three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 25/08/2016 Full Requires improvement 06/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/05/2015 Full Good 14/01/2015 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, the registered person must: (2)(c) ensure that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. 20/03/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about a child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

This is with specific reference to ensuring that there is consistency between different record formats, that any action taken is recorded and that there is analysis of the content of records.

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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 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

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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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