Children's Home run by Doncaster Children‟s Services Trust Limited in Doncaster

Inspection report children’s home: SC032167 1 SC032167 Registered provider: Doncaster Children’s Services Trust 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

A trust runs this children’s home. It provides short breaks and long-term care for up to 10 children or young people who have physical and/or learning disabilities. The manager has over 23 years of residential care experience. He has been the manager of this home since January 2016 and was registered in August 2016. He is in the final stages of completing his level 5 qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 30 April to 1 May 2018

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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: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Inspection report children’s home: SC032167 2 03/01/2018 Full Good 09/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/05/2016 Full Good 18/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC032167 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

There have been three children and young people resident in the home since the last inspection. The staff team members’ expertise, cohesion and commitment have ensured that this has not had a negative impact on the children and young people attending for short breaks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The internal and external refurbishments mean that the children and young people spend their time in a safe, comfortable and stimulating environment where they can have fun. The outside space provides the children and young people with the room to run and play, giving them a sense of freedom. They develop new skills as they learn to plant and nurture flowers and vegetables in the raised beds.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

An outstanding new record system for the children and young people’s files provides a comprehensive picture of the individual, their time in the home and their progress and achievements. The key worker, together with the child or young person wherever possible, maintains the records. The manager or deputy manager then audits these regularly. The excellent day-to-day care plans detail how the children and young people’s holistic needs are to be met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children and young people make significant progress in developing social and life skills. They grow in the confidence to try new foods and to eat together with their peers. Clear activity planning, incorporating ‘now and next’ messages, significantly reduces anxiety. The children and young people trust the staff team members and enjoy being together in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

An excellent newsletter and regular coffee mornings ensure that parents and family members are kept informed and engage with the home. They feel supported and valued by staff team members, empowering them to entrust the care of their children to the home. A parent said, ‘I have never met any other people who care as much as they care.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Effective partnership working between the staff team members and other professionals ensures that children and young people receive all of the services that they need. A social work team manager stated that it was ‘a testament to staff how well both [Name] and [Name] settled when neither had been looked after before’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All of the children and young people are engaged in full-time education. Outstanding partnership working between the home and schools ensures that the same communication methods are used, empowering the children and young people to express themselves. The proactive staff team members encourage further shared learning by ensuring that the children and young people have books in their bedrooms that reflect their interests and their cultural heritage.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children and young people are encouraged and enabled to engage in inclusive Inspection report children’s home: SC032167 4 activities in the local community that expand their horizons. They are supported to attend places of worship and religious leaders are welcomed into the home so that the children and young people can maintain their faith.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The dedicated staff team members work hard with the young people to empower them to learn self-care and life skills, in preparation for their transition to adult provisions. A parent said, ‘Before she went there she couldn’t do much, but now she is learning to be independent.’

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

Outstanding individual and generic risk assessments identify each child or young person’s vulnerabilities and how they are to be addressed. Children and young people evidently feel safe and parents and professionals report that they are safe.

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

The staff team consistently implements excellent behaviour management and safeguarding plans. Clear safeguarding arrangements protect the children and young people and promote their welfare.

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

Due to the children and young people’s special needs, targeted bullying is a low risk. Nevertheless, the manager has devised an excellent policy to ensure that children and young people’s safety and sense of security is assured.

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

High staffing levels and the appropriate locks on the doors to safeguard the children and young people mean that there are no missing episodes. The ‘grab’ information cards that staff take with them when out in the community further contribute to the protection of children and young people. These provide all the necessary information if a child were to be separated from the group.

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

All staff team members are trained appropriately in physical intervention, but such methods are rarely necessary. Consistent early intervention to diffuse challenging situations and the use of distraction and deflection techniques empower children and young people to learn appropriate ways of behaving. A social worker said, ‘The transformation in [Name] has been spectacular.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is aspirational for the children and young people in his care to achieve to the best of their potential. Together with his skilled and enthusiastic senior management team, he inspires the staff team members to build upon their knowledge and constantly improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s comprehensive regulation 45 report and development plan detail the cover arrangements for when he is supporting other homes in the trust. It is evident that careful planning ensures that there is no detrimental impact on the home when the Inspection report children’s home: SC032167 5 manager is absent. The effective internal and external monitoring procedures ensure that care remains at a high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No breaches of regulation were identified at this inspection. Both recommendations raised at the last inspection have been met. It is evident how hard the manager and senior team have worked to implement new recording procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The training and guidance provided for staff team members has led to significant improvements in the quality of recording on both electronic and paper files. Ensuring that information is dated provides history and context for the children and young people as well as providing current information for other professionals involved in their care. The new file format is excellent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A loyal and committed staff team receives regular high-quality supervision. Training includes ‘research in to practice’ sessions in team meetings, to keep the staff team members’ knowledge current. This includes the implementation of the experiential learning cycle, which ensures that the staff team members use reflection consistently to inform and improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team members’ skill and their enthusiasm for their roles are boosted further by the implementation of a champion system. They each have responsibility for a specific area that enhances the care and outcomes for the children and young people. Detailed emergency admission guidance procedures ensure that only children and young people whose needs comply with the home’s statement of purpose, and can be met, are admitted. A new ‘Parents Guide’ provides family members with specific and supportive information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager works closely with all partner agencies to ensure that the children and young people receive the consistent targeted care they need. This includes preparing assessments so that children placed in the home in an emergency can be moved successfully to appropriate foster placements. A social work team manager said, ‘He settled in very well and the team, both social workers and the home, worked very closely and well together to meet his needs and make the assessments.’

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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. Inspection report children’s home: SC032167 6 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC032167 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Doncaster Children’s Services Trust Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Blue Building, 38–40 High Street, Doncaster DN1 1DE

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Inspector

Ann-Marie Born: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC032167 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 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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