Children's home run by Nottinghamshire YMCA in Nottingham

Inspection report children’s home: 1216657 1 Registered provider: Nottinghamshire YMCA

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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 home is one of a small number of children’s homes in the area, which are owned and run by a local charitable organisation. It provides care and accommodation for up to two 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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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: Improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people form positive attachments to the staff team and feel well supported in all areas of their lives. Inspection report children’s home: 1216657 2  Staff act as positive advocates for young people. They listen to young people and act on their wishes and feelings.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people engage well in education and training and see the value of this. They have goals and aspirations for their futures.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Family members feel fully involved in the care and support offered to young people. They report high levels of satisfaction at how staff work with them to promote positive outcomes.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people feel safe and know how to complain. They present as confident and well integrated into the home and the local community.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people lead healthy lifestyles. Staff support them well to meet their routine and specialist health needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff and managers need to challenge placing authorities more robustly when they fail to provide relevant documentation for young people in a timely manner.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Managers need to ensure that full and satisfactory information and checks are carried out, in relation to all newly recruited members of staff. Records should reflect all checks carried out and the outcomes of these.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1216657 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met standard requires the registered person to ensure that staff seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (c) requires the registered person to ensure– that if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s performance to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, to ensure that each young person has a care plan in place and review meetings are requested for any planned changes of placements. 08/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that a full employment history, together with a satisfactory explanation of any gaps in employment, is obtained in writing. (Regulation 32(3)(d)) 08/09/2017

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Inspection judgements

Inspection report children’s home: 1216657 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make positive progress in all areas of their lives during their time living in this home. They feel happy and well supported by staff and managers. They thrive and develop aspirations and goals for their futures. Their progress is positive and they develop skills which will assist them in adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person has left the home since the last inspection. The progress made by them was very positive. Staff fully supported them and relevant family members to re- establish routines and boundaries. The young person has been able to return to live with a family member as a result of the positive progress made at this home. A family member said: ‘His experience at this home was very positive. He has routines again and the staff did a fantastic job.’ The young person stated: ‘The staff helped me to change my behaviour, helped with my school attendance and homework, and helped me to deal with my emotions.’ This reflects a staff team which successfully promotes routines, education and working in partnership with family members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have education provision in place and 100% attendance. Staff support them to re-engage with their education provisions, when this has been an area of concern for them previously. Young people learn and now see the value of education. As one young person said: ‘I want to go to sixth form, then university and train to be a pilot or engineer’. Young people develop confidence in their abilities over time and feel positively about their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people well to integrate into the local community. Young people attend a local gym and use community resources. Staff meet young people’s religious, spiritual and cultural needs well. One young person attends a local mosque and has formed friendships through a local refugee forum. A member of staff supported the young person through Ramadan recently and fasted with them each day. The young person really valued this commitment and support. It reflects a staff team intent on understanding young people’s lives and learning about things that are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people know their rights and how to complain. There have been no complaints made by young people or others since the last inspection. Young people raise any concerns or issues they may have in their regular meetings with staff. They report that they feel listened to and that they have confidence in staff responding to their concerns or requests. Young people influence the running of the home. Staff consult them on menu and activity planning each week.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recently did PowerPoint presentations during a team meeting about the journey of each young person. This reflected their starting points and progress they have made since moving to live at this home. This provides not only staff, but young people with a detailed and visual account of their starting points and the progress they have made. It reflects the staff team’s commitment to ensuring that young people make progress in all areas of their lives. Memory books also provide young people with a lasting account of Inspection report children’s home: 1216657 5 their time in this home. They take them with them when they leave and can see what they have achieved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to learn independence skills, which will assist them when they move to adulthood. They teach them how to cook, manage their own money and meet their own personal care needs. Young people learn how to use public transport unaided, which enables them to visit family members and friends. It increases their confidence and sense of belonging in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff meet young people’s health needs well. Staff support young people to increasingly consider and meet their own routine and more specialist health needs. One young person was reluctant to attend a recent optician appointment. Staff persisted and supported the young person to attend the appointment. Staff support young people to lead healthy lifestyles. Physical activities and sports are promoted and young people develop a positive sense of self-worth as a result.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers have attempted to challenge one placing authority in relation to missing documentation for one young person since they came to live at this home last year. A care plan is still awaited for this young person. There is a need for managers and staff to more robustly challenge placing authorities, when they fail to provide such key documentation. A clearer escalation process is needed to ensure that such concerns are addressed and resolved in a timely manner.

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

Young people report feeling safe in this home and they believe that staff work hard to ensure their safety at all times. Risk assessments reflect their current and changing needs. Staff review and update them following any relevant incidents. Young people rarely go missing from this home. Young people feel secure and feel able to discuss any concerns they may have with staff and managers.

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

The use of physical restraint is infrequent and reflects the ability of staff to de-escalate situations with young people. Staff understand the triggers for young people and have detailed behaviour management plans in place to inform their practice. They support young people well to consider any potentially risky behaviours and set targets with them to address them.

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

Staff support young people to take age-appropriate risks. One young person now uses public transport alone on a regular basis. Staff form trusting relationships with young people and prepare them well for their eventual move to adult life. Young people agree to let staff see their use of social media and internet access each week. They understand that staff act as corporate parents and want to ensure their safety at all times. They maintain regular phone contact with young people when they are out, and ensure their safe return to the home at agreed times.

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

The use of sanctions is low and reflects staff members’ commitment to working with young people on any concerning behaviours. Rewards and praise result in young people Inspection report children’s home: 1216657 6 learning the value of positive behaviours and in them taking pride in their positive achievements.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the key role that they play in relation to safeguarding. They understand their professional accountability and what action they must take if they have concerns for a young person’s safety. There have been no allegations made about staff members since the last inspection. Managers understand their safeguarding responsibilities and have formed close working relationships with local police and designated officers.

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

In respect of recruitment and selection processes, these are not as robust as they should be. Recruitment records do not reflect what action managers or human resources colleagues have taken when gaps in employment histories are identified. The process of verifying written references for new staff is also unclear as records do not provide an account of when verifications have been completed or what additional information was sought. Improving practice in this area will provide an additional layer of safety for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager left their employment at the home in May 2017 and the position remains vacant. Suitable interim management arrangements have been put in place, with a newly appointed manager from within the organisation supporting the staff team. There are now plans for a registered manager from another home within the organisation to apply imminently for registration to manage this home. Staff report feeling well-supported by managers and that the recent changes in managers has not had an adverse effect on their ability to provide good care and support to young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and annual appraisals to consider their performance and support needs. Managers have recently made some changes to the appraisal system. This will provide staff with an opportunity during formal supervision sessions to review their set targets for the year. This will help ensure that targets are met and that staff feel fully engaged in their roles and development. Staff have access to a wide range of training and development opportunities and they feel that this really helps them with their work with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers work closely and very proactively with local agencies and professionals. They approached a local charity to work with one young person with specific cultural and religious needs. A worker from the charity speaks very positively about the staff team. They said: ‘Staff researched and found our services and made a referral. They are very involved in ensuring that the young person has full access to advocacy and support services, which is commendable.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers know and understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. A detailed development plan sets out the aims and objectives for the coming year. The plan has also been adapted and made into a young person’s version. This includes areas of specific interest and relevance to them. It is on display on a noticeboard in the home, so Inspection report children’s home: 1216657 7 young people can consider it and add to it. This reflects the culture of the home, which is to fully engage young people in all aspects of the care they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers monitor the services they provide on a regular basis. They produce detailed and comprehensive reports with clear action plans identifying areas for improvement. Managers consider the reports from the independent visitor each month and ensure that any recommendations receive prompt attention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers routinely seek feedback from young people, family members and involved professionals and agencies. This assists in further improving the services provided and in improving the outcomes for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager needs to more effectively challenge when concerns about a placing authority’s responses to requests for information or essential documents, such as care plans, are not forthcoming. There is a need to have clear and detailed escalation procedures in place for staff and managers to follow. This should then enable staff and managers to secure the necessary documentation in a timelier manner, to assist them in understanding the care plans for young people and their part in supporting them.

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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: 1216657 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nottinghamshire YMCA

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Shakespeare Street, NVAC, Nottingham NG1 3FG

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Inspector

Tracy Murty, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1216657 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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