Children's home run by East Midlands Care Matters Limited in Amber Valley

Inspection report children’s home: SC381522 1 SC381522 Registered provider: East Midlands Care Matters Limited

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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 home is privately owned and provides care for three young people who have learning difficulties and/or emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 September 2017

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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 requires improvement to be 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

Date of last inspection: 23 November 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is good because:  It provides a settled, nurturing environment. Young people are well cared for and they make good progress. Inspection report children’s home: SC381522 2  Staff ‘go the extra mile’ in supporting young people to have good experiences.  Staff work extremely closely with parents. Even though young people live away from home, they can maintain their relationships with their own family.  Support to families is excellent. This work is so good that it keeps families together.  All young people have good school attendance. They are making good progress and there are some areas in which outstanding progress is achieved.  Young people are encouraged to have experiences that they would have if they lived in their own home. For example, they have ‘sleepovers’ and take friends on their holidays.  The focus is always on young people. Care planning is very good. Staff make sure

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Key findings from this inspection

that young people are safe, happy and well protected.  Comments from parents, professionals, staff and young people about the home are very positive.

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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

 One young person’s privacy and dignity has been compromised. It has gone unnoticed that the privacy film used on a young person’s bedroom window has not been working. Neighbours have been able to see into the bedroom when the young person has been undressed.  In one young person’s bedroom, an odour of urine remains despite efforts to clean and eliminate the smell.  Staff are generally very well trained to care for young people. Some training is very good at raising staff awareness and equipping them with the skills they need to look after the young people. However, training in radicalisation and female genital mutilation has not yet taken place. Staff may not be able to keep young people safe if an issue arises, because of their lack of knowledge.  Staff feel very well supported. However, opportunities to monitor their practice are missed because of a lack of formal supervision sessions.  Some records present as disorganised. If there were to be an investigation in

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Key findings from this inspection

the future, it would be difficult to undertake. For example, medicine records and some fire drill records are not clear. Also, one incident of restraint has not been recorded. Inspection report children’s home: SC381522 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/11/2016 Full Good 15/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/10/2015 Full Good 20/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC381522 4

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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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children to aspire to their full potential

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should be trained to address issues of radicalisation and female genital mutilation. 05/11/2017

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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, the standard requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(2)(d) This is in particular relation to the smell or urine in one young person’s bedroom and one young person not having a bath or shower before school, after being incontinent during the night. 05/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the privacy of children is appropriately protected. (Regulation 21(a)) 05/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record 05/11/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC381522 5 is made including all the matters from (i) to (vii). (Regulation 35(3)(a))

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Requirement Due date

ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification by the relevant date. (Regulation 32(4)) 05/11/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are familiar with the importance of careful, objective, clear recording. This is in particular relation to the presentation of records such as medication records and fire check records. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that a record of supervision is kept for staff and the manager. The record should evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with the regulation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All young people make good progress. Close working relationships with parents are a key factor in why young people do so well. Some young people have previously found it difficult to live away from their family home. The joint working at this home ensures that young people still feel part of their family. For example, one mother still cooks her child homemade soup and sends it back to the home with staff. Young people are able to feel loved and nurtured by their own family as well as by the staff at the home. One young person talked about the home saying: ‘It is like my second family.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are very positive relationships between staff and young people. Warmth, empathy and humour is used to create a happy home, where young people thrive. Care planning is strong and effective. Plans are regularly evaluated and updated to reflect young people’s changing needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people go on activities regularly and enjoy a range of experiences. They develop friendships at school and in the community. Staff make sure that they support these friendships. Young people can have ‘sleepovers’ with their friends. On a recent holiday, a young person’s friend was allowed to go with them. Friendships are not compromised because young people live in a care home. Staff are not afraid of taking proportionate risks so that young people can learn, develop and experience real life. Inspection report children’s home: SC381522 6 The well-coordinated approach to all aspects of health works well. It keeps young people fit and healthy. For example, young people go on regular bike rides and walks. Healthy food is available at all times. Staff acknowledge that emotional well-being is just as important as physical health. Young people receive the help that they need to maintain good all-round health. For example, young people have access to drama therapy and to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

community mental health services that assist them to come to terms with their previous experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Monitored dosage systems organised by the pharmacist ensure that each child receives their prescribed medication. However, there is room for error, because staff do not always use this system effectively. The manager is currently reviewing this issue to reduce any risk to young people in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are very good links with schools. This maximises young people’s progress, because teaching staff and care staff work together to provide consistency. All young people are attending and enjoying their education placement. They are all making at least good progress, with some particular pockets of exceptional progress in a short space of time. For example, one young person’s reading level has gone up by four times the amount expected in one year. Young people who have found it very challenging to make educational progress are now making up for lost time.

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improvement to be good

There are some shortfalls that impact on young people’s safety and welfare. One young person’s privacy and dignity has been compromised. In the past, specialist film on his bedroom window has ensured that people cannot see in to his bedroom. Since the last inspection in March, this privacy film has stopped working. The back garden underneath the window is mainly secluded. However, one neighbour has been able to see the young person in the bedroom while he has been undressed.

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improvement to be good

One young person’s bedroom has a smell of urine. Despite regular cleaning and replacement of the flooring, this is still an issue. Action needs to be taken so that the young person can enjoy an odour-free bedroom. When a young person was incontinent during the night, staff did not make sure that they had a bath or shower before leaving for school. This was an isolated incident, but young people’s dignity could be affected in the future.

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improvement to be good

Despite these shortfalls, there are a number of strengths in how young people are helped and protected. In particular, staff manage young people’s behaviour very well. Young people make excellent progress in this regard. Staff report that one young person had needed to be physically held every day for his own safety, but this has not been necessary in recent months. This is very good progress.

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improvement to be good

Joint working with parents is very strong. Staff regularly support young people in their own family home to model their behaviour-management techniques. If parents are Inspection report children’s home: SC381522 7 struggling to cope, staff go to support them. One parent told the inspector that their child’s behaviour has improved significantly at home because of the work that staff have done. They said: ‘I have noticed that she comes to talk to me now about her feelings.’ They compared this to the young person’s previous behaviour of ‘kicking out’, and feel very happy about her progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff are kind and patient in their approach to young people. They find alternative ways to manage challenging behaviours, rather than using physical intervention techniques. Restraint is only used when it is absolutely necessary to protect young people’s health or welfare. There have been two physical holds since the last inspection. Given the young people’s complex behaviour, this is very positive. However, a record of one of the interventions has not been made. Should there be an investigation in the future, it would be impossible to ascertain from records whether the intervention was safe or proportionate.

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improvement to be good

This home is very settled. Young people feel safe and are safe. One parent said: ‘I am 100 per cent happy that [my child] is safe.’ There have been few safeguarding concerns since the last inspection. However, staff remain vigilant and are very clear about what they should do if a concern about a young person arises.

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improvement to be good

No young people have gone missing, but staff demonstrated that, if this should happen, young people would be protected. The staff ratios are high and young people are happy and well cared for, so incidents of young people going missing are unlikely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced to run this children’s home. She is well supported by a deputy manager. Together, they make sure that young people are always at the centre of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is overwhelming evidence from young people, parents, staff and other professionals that the registered manager is a strong and inspirational leader. One young person said: ‘I like her. If I have got a problem, I would tell her and she sorts it out.’ Staff comments include: ‘It’s all about the kids. She is full on all the time’, and ‘She gives 100 per cent or more.’ Managers make it their business to be highly involved in care. They lead the staff by example, never losing the focus on young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported on a daily basis, because managers are available and lead the work. There are regular discussions with staff about their practice. Staff are helped to develop their skills. However, there is a lack of formal supervision for some staff. This has the potential to impact on young people, because there is not structured time for staff to have their performance formally monitored. It is an opportunity missed for staff to talk about young people’s progress and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are skilled in meeting young people’s needs. They receive training in areas such as first aid, behaviour management and safeguarding. Some training is creative, bespoke to Inspection report children’s home: SC381522 8 the young people and of a high quality. Recent training on pathological demand avoidance disorder was organised, so that staff could better understand a young person’s difficulties. Managers have done research to find up-to-date, compelling and interesting research about this disorder. Staff will be able to use their learning in their work with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are some important issues that have not yet been covered in training. Staff have not received training on radicalisation and female genital mutilation. Staff’s knowledge is very limited and they may not be able to recognise that young people are at risk if this is not put right. Also, one member of staff has not achieved her diploma in the timescales required by the regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff generally use records effectively in their work. However, there is the potential for records to go missing because the recording system is disorganised. When records are kept on the computer, these are not kept in an organised filing system where it is easy to find them. Appropriate checks on the fire alarm system have taken place but are not recorded. Medicine records are also complicated, and it is difficult to establish an audit trail from the documents. Some records do not ‘tell the story’ of events and the reader cannot see what happened and when. If an investigation is needed in the future, it would be difficult to carry out.

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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 differences 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 whom 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: SC381522 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: East Midlands Care Matters Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 58 Brackendale Road, Swanwick, ALFRETON, Derbyshire DE55 1DX

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Inspector

Caroline Brailsford, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC381522 10 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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