Children's Home run by K & G Care Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1270767 1 Registered provider: K&G Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home that provides short-, medium- and long-term care for up to five children and young people who have emotional needs and challenging behaviour.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1270767 2

p.1

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.

p.2

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure- (b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b)) 11/07/2018

p.2

Requirement Due date

The registered person must 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 is made. (Regulation 35(3)(a)) 11/07/2018

p.2

Recommendations

 Children should be in full-time education whilst they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interest. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)  The use of external staff can be a positive choice to complement the skills and experiences of the permanent workforce. Any external agency staff should meet the requirements in regulation 32(4) regarding mandatory qualifications and the registered person should consider their skills, qualifications and any induction necessary before they commence work in the home. The use of agency staff should be carefully monitored and reviewed to ensure children receive continuity of care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality

p.2

Recommendations

standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.16) Inspection report children’s home: 1270767 3

p.2

improvement to be good

Young people’s experiences and progress are not yet good because of shortfalls in staff practice and ineffective management oversight in relation to safeguarding matters.

p.3

improvement to be good

The educational experiences of young people are variable because they are not yet in permanent, full-time education. There has been a delay in identifying and securing funding for appropriate educational provision. This delay has lasted two months, despite strenuous efforts from the manager and directors to find a solution. The manager and directors understand the importance of education for the future of young people.

p.3

improvement to be good

Young people receive the primary healthcare services that they need, and receive support from staff to attend appointments. They undergo an annual healthcare review as part of routine health surveillance. Unfortunately, young people smoke tobacco. Staff have offered advice and guidance to help young people reduce or stop smoking. However, young people have not acted on this advice.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff promote regular visits from family, friends and those important to the young people. Staff help with family meetings in the home or family days out. This good practice helps to nurture family bonds. Staff understand that this is important to young people.

p.3

improvement to be good

The ideas and views of young people are valued by staff. Staff recognise that young people have a growing sense of autonomy. As a result, young people are central in decision-making. Moreover, when possible, their wishes are acted on.

p.3

improvement to be good

Young people enjoy a range of recreational activities. One young person enjoys boxing and attends a local club. Another particularly enjoys bowling. Staff promote and support these activities because they understand that they improve young people’s confidence.

p.3

improvement to be good

The manager has failed to ensure that staff follow procedures correctly after young people have been subject to physical intervention. Following a number of physical interventions, staff have failed to record their actions in sufficient detail. They have also failed to record the young person’s views, or noted whether the young person required medical treatment. Staff were unaware of their responsibilities to record such incidents because they had not received guidance. The manager failed to identify these gaps in practice and take action to put this right. This failure limits the ability of safeguarding agencies to assess practice in the home. Further, it limits the ability of the manager and leaders of the service to evaluate and improve the way that restraint is carried out.

p.3

improvement to be good

The manager and staff failed to recognise that a young person was watching Inspection report children’s home: 1270767 4 inappropriate material on his television. This is a safeguarding concern because it has the potential to place the young person at risk of emotional harm, and hinders efforts to help him improve his behaviour.

p.3

improvement to be good

The responsible individual has completed a good, comprehensive location risk assessment. She has obtained a variety of views from partner agencies on potential risks to young people in the area. This assessment helps staff to keep young people safe.

p.4

improvement to be good

The recruitment of new staff is in accordance with safer recruitment procedures. The recruitment process includes a wide range of checks designed to ensure the safety of young people.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff actively encourage respectful and good relationships between young people. The two young people enjoy a very good friendship with each other. They describe each other as their ‘best mate’. This means that bullying and intimidation are not issues in this home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A qualified and experienced registered manager has managed the home since its registration. She is realistic about the work required to make this a good service, particularly in relation to the oversight of staff practice. The deputy manager has recently left and the responsible individual is actively recruiting to this position in order to provide support to the manager.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has not ensured that agency staff hold the required qualifications and experience to work with vulnerable young people. This has the potential to negatively impact on the standard of care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive professional supervision, which guides and supports their care practice. Supervision sessions take place monthly and focus on staff welfare, training and development needs. Staff say that they value these meetings and report that they feel able to raise any concerns they may have with the manager.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff benefit from regular team meetings. Leaders have made good use of these meetings to reflect on approaches to care and reflect on the management of incidents.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager understands the value of working with partner agencies. She is developing good links with agencies locally. When required, she has challenged professionals to ensure that young people have the services they need to help and support them to start making progress. A social worker spoke very positively about information sharing and joint working. This is a positive indication that this service can make progress and benefit young people. Inspection report children’s home: 1270767 5

p.4

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.

p.5

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: 1270767 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 202, West Retford Hall, Rectory Road, Retford, Nottinghamshire DN22 7AY

p.6

Inspector

Phillip Morris, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1270767 7 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7