Children's Home run by Nottingham City Council in Nottingham

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 judges that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last full inspection on 2 November 2016, the home received a judgement of good for overall effectiveness. However, the inspection identified areas which needed further development. Since this time the registered manager has addressed the vast majority of the shortfalls.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has improved the home’s development plan. Plans now include information relating to the impact of care on the progress and experience of young people. Additionally, proposed actions have clear timescales; therefore improvement is easily measurable.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The statement of purpose contains all matters required under regulation. This means professionals and parents have a clear understanding of the home’s purpose and operation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has ensured that all young people referred to the home have their individual needs fully considered. This means young people admitted to the home have their unique needs fully met. Additionally, the registered manager ensures that all new referrals to the home are compatible with current residents. This minimises the risk of disruption and ensures positive group dynamics within the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has ensured the replacement of internal and external doors and replacement of the damaged double glazed window units. These improvements provide a smarter appearance. However, there is a need for continued work to ensure that the home provides a more domestic environment, specifically the removal of municipal-style lighting. Additionally, some damaged bedroom furniture is still in need of replacement.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people who leave the home benefit from well-planned transitions which are in line with their care plans. Staff work closely with young people, families and social care professionals to facilitate positive moves. Young people’s wishes and feelings are fully considered as part of these transitions. Managers and staff work closely with young people to support them to attend education. Some young people have not previously attended school and struggle to adapt to routines and learning environments. Staff are creative in supporting home tutors, providing structured home education and incentives to encourage and motivate young people to attend education and training provision. This means that from their starting points all young people make progress.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are generally in good physical health. Staff support young people to attend medical appointments, meet with the designated nurse and learn about healthy lifestyles. This has led to improvements in the health of young people. Some young people engage in behaviours such as smoking and drug use. Where this occurs, staff make prompt referrals to specialist agencies to provide young people with specialist advice, guidance and support. This means young people benefit from understanding key health risks, thereby minimising potential harm to their health. Additionally, young people engage in services to promote positive emotional and psychological health. This has led to a reduction in self-injurious behaviours with one young person.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection there have been incidents where young people have been missing and absent from the home without authorisation. In such circumstances, the skilled and knowledgeable staff team is effective in managing and minimising incidents. When incidents occur, robust partnership work with the police ensures a timely response to safeguard young people. Staff implement missing-from-care protocols effectively. This ensures prompt and responsive action. Upon return to the home, young people engage in return interviews to discuss the circumstances leading to them leaving the home. Managers ensure that they escalate concerns to the social care team, and, where necessary, alternative strategies or placements are considered.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team is well trained and supervised. It is an established, cohesive team and provides consistency of care. A highly knowledgeable assistant manager supports the experienced registered manager. Their meticulous monitoring of the home combined with excellent management skills ensure consistently high standards of care.

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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 who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is a short-term assessment provision whereby needs are assessed and a suitable long-term placement is identified within a six-month assessment period.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 02/11/2016 Full Good 23/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/10/2015 Full Good 25/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following 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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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 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 children looked after 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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