Children's home run by Derbyshire County Council in Derbyshire Dales

Inspection report children’s home: SC439882 1 SC439882 Registered provider: Derbyshire County 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 is a local authority children’s home which provides care and accommodation for up to six children and young people. Care is provided for children and young people who have physical disabilities and/or learning difficulties. The home provides long-term care and short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 21 to 22 November 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC439882 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 This provision has a profound and enduring impact on the lives of children, young people and their families. This is because it provides valuable support to enhance children’s/young people’s happiness and well-being.  Staff know the children and young people exceptionally well. They understand individual complex needs. This means that staff provide high standards of individualised care and support.  Joint working with parents and other professionals ensures that children, young people and their families are at the centre of decision-making. Parents and professionals commend the home for the exceptional quality of care.  Safeguarding arrangements are rigorous. This means that all children and young people are safe from the potential risk of harm.  Leaders and managers are passionate about their work. They lead a committed and cohesive staff team. This combined force ensures that children and young

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Key findings from this inspection

people consistently experience the best possible care.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/10/2016 Full Outstanding 16/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/10/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC439882 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people receive an outstanding quality of care at this home. They experience excellent day-to-day care. Parents were unanimous in praising the work of the management and staff team. Parents said: ‘They are like an extra family’, ‘This service has been totally life changing!’, and ‘This is a wonderful home, with wonderful staff.’ A social worker said: ‘The short breaks make an immeasurable difference to families and their quality of life.’ The impact on children, young people and their families is highly positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Relationships between the staff and children and young people are the ‘golden thread’ of the service. Staff nurture and care for children and young people. They are exceptionally committed to enhancing the lives of the children and young people in their care. This is demonstrated in their unquestioning willingness to work ‘above and beyond’. They do this because they genuinely care about children and young people. Consequently, children and young people feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Excellent relationships with families help children and young people make progress. One parent said: ‘Routines in the children’s home transfer to our home.’ Another parent said: ‘I have learned from their expertise.’ Effective communication means that parents and carers are reassured that their child is well cared for and that all of their complex needs are being met. Partnership work ensures that parents are fully consulted in all aspects of care provision and service delivery.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

With regard to children and young people who have communication difficulties, staff communicate using a range of individualised communication strategies. This includes non-verbal communication methods. These methods enable children and young people to make choices and decisions. They become more self-assured because they can understand and communicate about their daily care, education and experiences. Communication empowers children and young people and has a significant impact in supporting progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Effective multi-disciplinary collaboration promotes the educational, health, physical, emotional and psychological needs of children and young people. Excellent communication between the home and school enables a shared understanding of children and young people’s behaviour, progress and needs. Educational attendance is excellent. This supports continual progress. Complex health and medical needs receive specialist support. Staff work closely with a range of healthcare professionals, including occupational health teams, physiotherapists and paediatricians. This partnership work ensures that children and young people benefit from optimum healthcare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people gain tremendous enjoyment and happiness through experiencing a wide range of social, play and recreational activities. This is both within and outside of the home. A recent adventure holiday provided opportunities to try canoeing, horse riding and archery. One young person is having skiing lessons. Children Inspection report children’s home: SC439882 4 and young people have trips to theatres, pantomimes, festivals and fairs. This provides entertainment and social interaction. Integration into the local community is a core activity. Staff support children and young people to attend youth clubs, to go shopping and to eat out. Children and young people thrive because of the stimulating activities and the high level of attention provided. Their experiences support progress, development and increased levels of participation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Short breaks and long-term placements are extremely well planned. Staff and managers understand that transitions are difficult for some children and young people. They also recognise that parents worry about their children staying away from their family homes. With this in mind, staff work very hard to reassure parents and to make sure that they are central to all planning. Children and young people are gradually introduced to the home, through teatime visits and leading up to the first overnight stay. Great care is taken to replicate family routines. With short breaks, bookings take account of a wide range of factors. These include compatibility of children and young people, availability of specialist equipment and skills of staff. Meticulous planning enables successful short breaks and promotes positive experiences for children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

For young people and their families, the transition to adult residential provision can be a source of anxiety. Staff work alongside young people, their families and other professionals to make the transition as successful as possible. Young people are sensitively introduced to their new home ‘at their own pace’. This can take several months. During this time, staff make booklets for the young person, with photographs of the new home. When a young person leaves, they take photographs and memorabilia with them. This helps them to have fond memories of the home and staff. These steps promote positive endings.

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

Safeguarding children and young people from harm and promoting their welfare is paramount to this service. There have been no safeguarding incidents since the last inspection. This is because managers and staff are diligent in their safeguarding practice. Managers and staff have a comprehensive understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. Safeguarding training is robust and is regularly updated. Staff demonstrate an acute understanding of the particular vulnerabilities of disabled children and young people. Additionally, health-related training ensures that staff have the expertise to safely meet children and young people’s complex clinical and medical needs. Staff are keen to continue their training and expand on their safeguarding knowledge.

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

High-quality risk assessments help to protect children and young people. Risk assessments are up to date, comprehensive and detailed. Risk assessments provide staff with the necessary strategies to minimise potential dangers. However, this does not limit children and young people in participating in activities. Risk assessments enable them to do so safely.

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

Children and young people can demonstrate challenging and risky behaviours. This is Inspection report children’s home: SC439882 5 because sometimes they cannot regulate their behaviours. Staff understand that feelings and emotions are expressed through behaviours. This is particularly the case when children and young people cannot communicate verbally. Behaviour management is a key strength of the home. The team works hard to understand the underlying issues that trigger behaviours. Strong monitoring processes track and identify patterns and trends. This ensures that there is continual evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions. Children and young people are safeguarded, as practice is safe and is under continuous scrutiny. Despite incidents of challenging behaviours, there has been no use of restraint. This is testament to the staff and their excellent behaviour management skills.

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

The home benefits from having a stable, well-established and cohesive staff team. Effective recruitment procedures enable the careful selection and recruitment of new staff. Vigilant monitoring of visitors to the home further protects children and young people from potential harm.

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

This home is purpose built. The environment is of a high specification. It provides an ideal space to meet the needs of children and young people who have disabilities. They benefit from equipment which aids their mobility. Ceiling tracking and bespoke wheelchairs mean that children and young people can move through the home. Specialist bathing facilities provide enjoyable bath times. Bespoke beds mean that children and young people are comfortable and safe at night. The provision is secure, safe, and maintained to a high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leadership and management arrangements are highly effective. Managers lead by example. They are ambitious to promote and sustain outstanding practice. An experienced and knowledgeable registered manager leads the home. She is completing her level 5 diploma in leadership in health and social care. This means that she will have the required suitable qualification to manage the home. She is supported by two dedicated and experienced assistant managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Partnership work is a strength of this home. One social worker said: ‘The management and staff team are a lifeline for the families and children. They are excellent!’ An independent reviewing officer said: ‘Management arrangements are very good. They have a professional approach and high expectations of the staff.’ This collaboration means that cohesive care is delivered from the multi-agency team to each child and young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is exceptionally strong commitment to ensuring that there is a highly qualified, trained and supported team. Staff state that they feel completely supported. They receive consistent supervision that meets their professional and developmental needs. Staff continually progress their own professional skills and knowledge. All staff have gained a recognised qualification, or are working towards one. Children and young people experience exceptional care and support because of the highly competent staff team. Inspection report children’s home: SC439882 6 The manager is passionate about delivering the best possible standards of care. Although the home has been judged as outstanding, she strives for ways to improve and develop the service further. The combined management team has a continuous focus on improving the quality and delivery of care. A detailed development plan provides clear targets to enhance what the home has to offer. All staff contributed to

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

this plan. This shows a collaborative approach to improving the home. The manager understands the strengths of the home. She has firm plans in place to promote continuous improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Case records are up to date comprehensive and stored securely. They contribute to a thorough understanding of the experiences of children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers share their excellent practice with professionals and families. This means that other children and young people will benefit from the dissemination of exceptional care practice.

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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: SC439882 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Derbyshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 3AG

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Inspector

Amanda Ellis, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC439882 8 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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