Children's Home run by North East Lincolnshire Council in North East Lincolnshire

Inspection report children's home: SC367802 1 SC367802 Registered provider: North East Lincolnshire Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The local authority has registered this home to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people who may have a learning disability.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children's home: SC367802 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager is a strong, child-centred leader who focuses on supporting young people to succeed in life.  Young people make good progress in respect of their education. They develop their interests and are safer.  Staff provide young people with a lot of support, understand their needs and take an active interest in their well-being.  The staff are warm and caring, and give all young people positive regard, irrespective of the challenges that young people present.  Young people have a positive influence on the running of the home, and they develop sound relationships with staff.  There are good arrangements for young people to maintain contact with people who are important to them.  Safety is a priority, and there is effective risk management to keep young people free from harm.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/06/2016 Full Good 24/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC367802 3

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Recommendations

 In accordance with regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met), homes must have proactive relationships with appropriate schools and educational support services (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.7). In particular, it should be clear how individual pupil premium is spent to improve the educational outcomes of children.  If, in an emergency situation, the registered person has to move a child out of the home to other accommodation, the accommodation must be suitable and meet the child's needs. The placing authority should be contacted immediately. If the child is looked-after, a statutory review should be convened as soon as possible after the emergency move has taken place (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.13). In particular make every possible effort to consult with the child’s independent

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Recommendations

reviewing officer and other partner agencies to support an informed decision prior to moving a child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive lots of support; they are cared about and loved. Everyone – the staff, leaders and managers – wants to make a positive difference in the lives of young people, and see them succeed. This is a home where young people feel safe and can be themselves. Consequently, the quality of their lives improves over the longer term. One young person said, ‘It’s great here, like a normal home, and you can just sit and chill out.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take the time to get to know the young people well. Staff are skilled in building positive relationships and use this to influence the lives of young people for the better. Young people experience stability, nurturing care, sensitivity and respect from staff, and this allows them to make safe and secure attachments. Staff understand that this is pivotal in helping young people to overcome past trauma, and improving their lives. Staff are committed and stand by young people, despite the challenges of their substance misuse, missing-from-home incidents and aggression.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have a good say in what goes on in the home, including daily routines and decisions about their care. They know how to complain and are able to challenge staff if they feel they are unfairly treated. The manager and staff acknowledge young people’s views and make changes to care plans, rules and routines where it is safe and appropriate to do so. If it is not appropriate to make changes, staff are patient and understanding in their efforts to explain why. Inspection report children's home: SC367802 4 Young people’s attendance at school is very high and they make good progress, taking into account previous missed schooling and their emotional and behavioural difficulties. There is good partnership work with schools that helps young people achieve well. Sharing of information keeps staff in the home and at the school up to date with young people’s needs and progress. It may be beneficial for young people if staff explain more

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

about the information in their school progress reports. Staff have links with the local authority’s education team, and contribute to young people’s individual education plans. It is not clear though how the use of pupil premium money improves outcomes for young people. This compromises how partner agencies make use of this extra resource.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote healthy lifestyles. They reinforce the importance of a good diet, exercise, regular health checks and routine appointments. Young people are generally in good health. Concerns, such as emotional well-being and substance misuse, are addressed by staff with additional specialist help. Young people have access to the local children and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS), independent counselling and support from a substance misuse agency. Staff from CAMHS also provide advice and support to staff about effective care strategies to use with young people. This support provides young people with good opportunities to consider how they manage conflict and difficult feelings. They learn from the positive adult role models around them, and the advice they receive on how to talk about things sensibly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy individual hobbies and interests such as horse riding, boxing and going to the gym. Staff enable young people to partake in typical family activities such as day trips, outings to special events and holidays. These experiences are a normal part of growing up that adds richness to young people’s lives. Leisure opportunities extend to school trips and holidays abroad.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote regular family contact for young people with their parents, siblings and extended family wherever possible. This promotes young people’s identity and culture as they maintain important family relationships. Senior managers in the local authority are committed to keeping young people placed locally. This helps to promote their individual needs and prevent risks of isolation from their local culture and environment, which can happen when young people are placed out of their area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Four young people have left the home since the last inspection. Two moved back to live with their families and one went on to live independently. These were planned transitions in line with young people’s wishes and the local authority’s care plans. Leaders manage placement moves as sensitively as possible, with the best interests of young people at heart. These moves may be unplanned if necessitated by safety concerns, but senior managers fully consider the availability and appropriateness of local placements. Such decisions would be more robust if they were fully informed by the independent reviewing officer (IRO) and partner agencies, when it is possible to do so. Inspection report children's home: SC367802 5

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff are effective in protecting young people from harm and keeping them safe. They know and understand the risks to young people and consistently disrupt risk-taking behaviour such as missing from home and substance misuse. There is a good balance in risk management that promotes young people’s learning and development in a way that reduces risk at the same time. For example, young people use mobile phones and tablets to learn about e-safety and the potential dangers of child sexual exploitation. Young people receive help from a substance misuse agency to reduce the risks from legal highs and using cannabis. Staff have amended care practice by staying up later, undertaking regular room searches and increasing the levels of supervision of young people, to disrupt substance misuse habits.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When young people are missing from the home, staff proactively search the local community, and their persistence ensures that young people return safely. Staff have built up a network of local contacts, and the visible staff presence has reduced young people’s opportunities to associate with others who may cause them harm. This keeps the frequency of missing-from-home incidents low, and some young people have never been missing at any time during their placement.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Over time, the constant and consistent efforts of staff help young people become safer. The security and safety of the home has a positive impact on their well-being. This is a distinct difference from their previous lives, which involved high risk-taking behaviour and instability. Staff regularly review safeguarding strategies with young people’s social workers and IROs. If necessary, and in urgent circumstances, this includes considering the future of a placement to keep young people safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff use an evidence-based social work model to prioritise young people’s needs and address risks to their welfare. The model sometimes includes the use of danger and safety statements, which engages young people in developing safer behaviour and helps them to understand the concerns of adults. The manager plans to use this model more consistently to develop safeguarding practice further.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Boundaries are clear and consistent and staff manage these boundaries very effectively. Despite the challenges young people present, staff stick by them and are committed to helping them overcome difficulties with their emotions and behaviour. Staff are skilled in de-escalating challenging behaviour and respond to young people in a calm and supportive way. At the same time, staff are consistent in communicating to young people expectations and appropriate boundaries. In the heat of the moment young people do not always feel that things are going their way. However, staff spend time with young people when they are calmer and are able to resolve issues. There is a good commitment to limiting police involvement so that young people are not criminalised. Inspection report children's home: SC367802 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been an interim period between the previous registered manager leaving and the local authority appointing a new manager. A senior manager in the local authority has effectively overseen this process and minimised any disruption to the care of young people. The new manager is very experienced and successfully manages another home. It is too early to judge the impact of his leadership in this home, but his track record bodes well for the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff are motivated to provide young people with high standards of care, and support them to achieve their potential. They work hard and are a strong and effective team. Young people benefit from the consistent, stable care that promotes their development and helps them overcome difficulties in their lives. Staff and managers know the young people well and the progress they have made. Effective use is made of an evidence-based social work model that highlights young people’s strengths and targets aspects of their welfare that are of concern. This is an open and inclusive process that takes account of young people’s wishes and feelings. The impact of young people’s views and the outcomes of their discussions with staff are not always clear. The manager has already identified this as an area to improve on.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff support each other well. One of the strengths in the local authority is the availability of support from staff and managers in other homes. Young people benefit from the flexibility this offers; if they move to another home run by the local authority, staff will move as well to sustain important relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff are reflective and work closely with partner agencies to give young people good holistic support that reflects their individuality. In addition, young people benefit from a caring environment in which staff have worked hard to remove as many aspects of institutionalism as possible. Inside, the decor and furnishings are homely and domestic. From the outside, the home blends in with the local community. Daily routines are normalised as far as possible, to reflect what is typical in a family home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Levels of internal monitoring are suitable, and the manager has already identified areas for improvement. This is in addition to the progress made in fulfilling the actions identified in the last six-monthly review of the home. There are two independent visitors who alternate on a six-monthly basis, and submit monthly reports about the management of the home. The quality of these reports has improved over the last six months, helping to contribute towards continuous improvements. It is important that this is maintained when the visitors swap around again. Inspection report children's home: SC367802 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children's home: SC367802 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Child Care Management Team, Civic Offices, Knoll Street, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire DN35 8LN

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Awaiting application

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Inspector(s)

Simon Morley, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC367802 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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