Children's home run by Nottinghamshire County Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC044291 1 SC044291 Registered provider: Nottinghamshire County Council

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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 that is registered to care for three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, placement matching has not always worked well. In October 2017, the planned placement of a new young person and the placement of a young person already living at the home were significantly disrupted by the emergency placement of a third young person. The home then had a difficult, chaotic period as young people were outside of the control and guidance of staff. This had an impact on the local community.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The decision to make the emergency placement appears to have been outside of the control of the registered manager. The local authority took the decision to make an emergency placement, due to pressure to find the young person a safe place to live. The Inspection report children’s home: SC044291 2 local authority (which runs the home) cannot demonstrate how it has reflected on the impact of this decision or how it has changed systems to ensure that this does not happen again.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

To their credit, despite the exceptional challenges facing them, the registered manager and staff team have worked relentlessly to try to make young people’s placements a success. The current mix of young people can, at times, cause disruption, despite the best efforts of the staff managing the situation. The registered manager acknowledges that the current mix of young people is not ideal and can see that the negative influence of young people over each other is limiting their potential. She is looking at strategies to improve the situation, such as one young person moving placement.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

To help manage young people’s complex needs, routines and boundaries are firmly applied within the home. Risk management planning is carefully coordinated with multi- agency partners, including the police, to devise strategies to reduce harm. This helps members of staff to have the skills to proactively prevent and respond to risky behaviours, including when young people go missing from care.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Despite the disruption, young people continue to make progress in some areas of their lives. Since returning to the home from a secure placement, one young person has made exceptional progress. From his starting point, he has successfully reduced his substance misuse and reduced his risk-taking behaviour, which had previously led to involvement with the criminal justice system. Another young person is maintaining his education placement and is on track to achieve nationally recognised qualifications. This will help to increase his future life chances.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff team is well-trained, and the manager describes them as resilient. They are committed to working positively with all young people, and they are skilled at managing complex behaviour. Staff want all young people to achieve their potential. The staff team is led by a very experienced and dedicated management team. The registered manager has an in-depth understanding of the functioning of the home. She monitors incidents very closely and she uses multi-agency partners effectively to provide well-rounded packages of care for young people.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/06/2017 Full Good 14/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 25/08/2016 Full Requires improvement 06/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC044291 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 care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 27/04/2018

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: SC044291 4

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Bridgford House, Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG2 7UN

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Inspector

Catherine Honey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC044291 5 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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