Children's Home run by Derby City Council in Derby

Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 1 SC488596 Registered provider: Derby City 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

This local authority children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 16 January 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because

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Key findings from this inspection

 Some young people do not have suitable or sufficient educational provisions in place. This undermines their ability to make progress educationally and impacts on their future education or employment opportunities.  Managers do not provide sufficient challenge to placing authorities or other relevant persons, in relation to delays in securing educational provisions, ensuring that care plans are clear and working with the police in relation to missing from care incidents.  There is a lack of clarity in relation to expectations of young people’s behaviours and consequences for any concerning or potentially risky behaviours.  Risk assessments in relation to missing from care are not sufficiently clear, detailed or explicit as to what action staff should take, in the event of a young person going missing.  Changes of placement for young people have not included statutory reviews, to consider the appropriateness of such moves or to elicit the wishes, feelings and

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Key findings from this inspection

views of relevant young people.  Some staff have not completed required training. This was identified at the last two inspections of this home and remains outstanding.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff fully support young people to keep in touch with family members and significant others. They place a high value and emphasis on the need to maintain such relationships for young people.  Preparation for moving to independence is positive. Staff work with young people to identify their skills and needs prior to them moving on to adult service provisions. Young people are supported to leave this home, with staff providing good levels of emotional and practical support to them during and after the move.  Staff support and encourage young people to develop new skills and to have a range of social opportunities. They work closely with a range of providers and local agencies, to try to support young people in developing their skills and experiences. Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/08/2016 Full Good 02/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that any individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification. (Regulation 32(4)) 01/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the privacy of children is appropriately protected. (Regulation 21(a)) 01/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The engaging with the wider system standard is to ensure that children’s needs are met.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (c) requires the registered person to ensure –

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Requirement Due date

that if the registered person or staff consider a placing authority or relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, that they challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c)) 01/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationship standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (2)(v) requires the registered person to ensure –

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Requirement Due date

that staff communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11(2)(v)) 01/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, paragraph (2)(vi) requires the registered person to ensure –

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Requirement Due date

that staff take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12(s)(vi)) 01/08/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 5

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Recommendations

 Ensure that significant changes to a child looked-after’s care, such as a change of placement, only take place following a statutory review of their care plan chaired by their independent reviewing officer. The child should be actively involved in these important meetings and supported to express their views, wishes and feelings. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations and quality standards’, page 57 paragraph 11.10)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they are not on a school roll for some reason, that the registered person and staff work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child’s needs under Regulation 5. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations and quality standards’, page 28 paragraph 5.15)

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improvement to be good

Some young people living in this home have not made good progress since the last inspection in some areas of their lives. From their starting points, they have not made positive developments or progress in relation to their educational attendance or attainment. There have also been increasing concerns for one young person in relation to missing-from-care incidents and behavioural issues.

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improvement to be good

Staff try to support young people and encourage them to make decisions relating to their care, but this has had limited success. Some young people refuse to engage with staff and there is a lack of consistent or clear expectations in relation to their behaviours or consequences for any concerning behaviours exhibited. Some young people refuse to abide by set times to return to the home and refuse to tell staff where they are going when leaving the home. This potentially places them at risk of harm and prevents staff from monitoring their movements or supporting them.

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improvement to be good

A key area of concern relates to the lack of sufficient educational provision for two young people placed in this home. One young person is on roll to an educational establishment, but does not currently attend and has not done so for some considerable time. Alternative provision for this young person is very limited and is not enabling them to make progress academically. Managers have attempted to work with the virtual school head and education colleagues to resolve this issue, but with very limited success. Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 6 There is a need for a much more concerted challenge of education providers and professionals. Another young person is not on roll to any educational provision and has not been since they moved to live in this home. Alternative provision is in place for this young person, but falls well below the expected numbers of hours per week, which a child looked-after is entitled to. Again, there is a need for more robust challenge by

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers attempt to put in place a timetable of education-based activities for those young people who are not attending formal education to engage in each day. This is having limited success, largely due to the refusal of the two young people to engage in it consistently.

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improvement to be good

One young person has made positive progress in relation to their education. They attend a local college and have also secured paid part-time work in the local area. Staff have supported this young person to continue with their education, working with relevant agencies and professionals well.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers have close working relationships with health agencies and try to ensure that young people’s health needs are considered and met. Records reflect their attempts to support young people to engage with routine and specialist health appointments. Some young people refuse to engage with health-related appointments, but staff continue to encourage them to meet their own health needs and seek advice from relevant agencies.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one young person was moved to live in this home on a temporary basis, from another children’s home of the same placing authority. This move was not made following a statutory review, chaired by an independent reviewing officer. It is clear that the decision to move this young person to this home did not fully take into account the young person’s wishes, views and feelings about the proposed move. Another young person has since moved into the home and remains in placement. Again, this move was planned and agreed by senior managers, but did not include a statutory review taking place before the young person moved to this home. Given the presenting concerns and issues for one young person already resident in the home, there is a need for more robust and considered matching and consideration of how the staff team can meet the complex needs of current and newly placed young people. There is also a need

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improvement to be good

to consider the emotional impact of new admissions for the young person who has been resident in the home for several years.

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improvement to be good

Staff support young people to keep in touch with family members and those significant to them. Young people visit their families, and staff support parents and extended family members to be involved in their care and decision-making as appropriate. A family member for one young person spoken with during this inspection praised the staff team for its attempts to engage the young person, but stated their concern at the lack of clear boundaries and educational provision for their relative.

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improvement to be good

There is a need for managers to ensure that the privacy of young people living in this home is appropriately protected. This relates to how identifying details of the location of Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 7 the home are managed by the placing authority. Currently, information pertaining to the address and contact details for the home are publicly accessible. Young people’s right to privacy and security needs to be considered and addressed by senior managers.

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improvement to be good

Concerns exist in relation to the current behaviours of one particular young person living in this home. They regularly refuse to engage with planned activities with staff, absenting themselves from the home on a very regular basis. Their refusal to consistently tell staff their intentions, or where they are going, potentially places them at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Missing-from-care risk assessments for this young person do not provide clear or consistent information for staff to act upon. Details of potential addresses where the young person may visit do not include sufficient details to inform either staff or the police of the risks. The risk assessment is not sufficiently clear as to what actions staff need to take, in the event that this young person is absent or missing. There has been an unclear and inconsistent response to reports to police about this young person, when they have been deemed to be missing from care. There is a need for the registered manager to challenge relevant agencies in relation to their collective response to those young people assessed to be at high risk when missing from care.

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improvement to be good

There is a lack of consistency in relation to how staff respond to one young person’s missing incidents. Due to the lack of agreed and specific return times being agreed with the young person when they leave the home, there is a lack of clarity as to when the young person will be reported as missing to the police and placing authority. Managers have recently held a meeting with the placing authority and police in relation to one young person and intend to hold a further meeting about the other young person. This is a positive and proactive response to the increasing concerns about both young people’s complex needs and risks. It is to be hoped that this will result in a much clearer and consistent approach by all involved agencies.

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improvement to be good

There has only been one recorded sanction given to young people since the last inspection. Staff try to use incentive charts to motivate young people and to focus on rewarding positive behaviours. Given the increase in concerning and potentially risky behaviours of two of the young people, there is a need for managers to ensure that young people understand expectations in relation to their behaviour and what consequences and sanctions will be put in place. This will enable staff and managers to more effectively work with young people and to help them to learn the consequences of any concerning or risky behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Restraint is very seldom used in the home by staff with young people. Staff work hard to support young people and to de-escalate any potentially risky or dangerous behaviours. Staff also try to encourage young people by using restorative practices. This can include asking a young person to assist staff in repairing any damage caused within the home. This promotes a sense of personal responsibility and encourages young people to take Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 8 pride in their surroundings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is experienced and has the necessary qualifications for the role. He has been in post for a number of years and is supported by a deputy manager and dedicated staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, concerns relating to one young person have increased. The manager has made attempts to challenge and raise his concerns with the placing authority and involved agencies, but with very limited success. The fact that one young person is still not on roll to a school is of concern and requires the manager to make concerted and increased attempts to challenge education providers to resolve this issue. There is also a need for the manager to similarly challenge education providers for the other young person, who has not been attending or engaging in their formal education provision for some considerable time now.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is also a need for the manager to more robustly challenge and work with the local police, in relation to their response to reports by the staff team of young people going missing from care. Management monitoring should also include a more detailed analysis of the known information for those young people who absent themselves from the home on a regular basis, in order to inform planning and support for them. Where a placing authority has not met its duties in relation to the care planning of young people, the manager needs to more robustly challenge them to ensure that young people’s needs are met in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has convened a recent meeting to consider the complex needs of a newly admitted young person. This meeting included relevant agencies and family members. This is positive and reflects the commitment of the manager to address issues. Plans are also in place for meetings to discuss another young person and their complex needs. Management oversight and monitoring is taking place in the home, but more robust challenge and action should ensure that young people’s needs are considered and clear plans put in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is furnished and decorated to a good standard internally and externally. Any damage caused is reported and repaired in a timely manner, to ensure that the home continues to be presented to a good standard and ensures the safety of both young people and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A requirement was made at the full inspection last year and was not completed at the time of the interim inspection earlier this year. This relates to the need for certain staff to complete their level 3 diploma qualification. At the time of this inspection, this requirement has still not been met and as such has been re-set. The manager and responsible individual are aware of the need to ensure that staff have access to the necessary and relevant training in a timely manner and of the need to address this continuing shortfall. Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 9 The manager has ensured that a detailed workforce plan is in place. The plan reflects the training and development needs of all care staff and dates of completion of relevant training attended.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has systems in place to monitor and track staff training and development. This includes mandatory training in relation to such areas as first-aid, safeguarding and physical intervention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager ensures that both the placing authority and Ofsted are notified of any significant events relating to the welfare and protection of young people living in the home. Staff demonstrate a good understanding and awareness of their professional responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and child protection. There have been no formal complaints made by young people or others since the last inspection.

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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: SC488596 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Treasurers Department, Council House, Corporation Street, Derby DE1 2FE

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Inspectors

Tracy Murty, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 11 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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