Children's home run by Derby City Council in Derby

Inspection report children‟s home: SC065730 1 SC065730 Registered provider: Derby City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children‟s home provides short breaks for up to 10 children and young people with sensory impairment and/or learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since 2015.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 25 September 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC065730 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/09/2017 Full Good 02/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/10/2016 Full Good 19/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC065730 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 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 in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff–

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(1), (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This is with reference to the risk of missing from care and the use of generic risk assessments. The manager must ensure that there are up-to-date, detailed and specific risk assessments, and clear strategies to reduce harm, and must detail how these will be implemented and monitored. 01/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development and practice- related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is with regard to ensuring that all staff receive well- coordinated and regular supervision and mandatory refresher training. 01/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which–

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c)) 01/03/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC065730 4 If the person who is in day-to-day charge of the children‟s home proposes to be absent from the home for a continuous period of 28 days or more, the registered person must give notice in writing to Ofsted of the proposed absence. Except in the case of an emergency or unforeseen absence, a notice under paragraph (1) must be given no later than one month before the proposed absence commences, or within such shorter period as may be agreed with Ofsted; and specify with respect to the proposed absence – its length or expected length; the reason for it; the arrangements which have been made for running the home during the absence; the address, name and qualifications of the person who will be responsible for the home during the absence; and in the case of the absence of the registered

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Requirement Due date

manager, the arrangements that have been, or are proposed to be, made for appointing another person to manage the home during the absence, including the proposed date by which the appointment is to be made. (Regulation 48(1), (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)) 01/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children at least once every 6 months. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report and supply Ofsted with a copy of the report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care report is completed. (Regulation 45(1), (3), (4)(a)) 01/03/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through engagement with professionals involved in the care of each child. This relates to the need to ensure that all looked after children or children in need reviews take place and that records of such meetings are requested of the Independent Reviewing Officer and placed on each child‟s file. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 54, paragraph 10.23)  The registered person must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. This relates to the need to ensure that written references are verified fully being appointing new staff to the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report children‟s home: SC065730 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy their short breaks in this home. Many of the children have been coming for several years now. Parents consistently praise the staff for ensuring that their children have an enjoyable stay. As one parent stated: „The staff are fabulous. My child loves coming and is sad when it‟s time to leave.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have the opportunity to take part in a range of activities during their stay. Staff take them out in the minibus to places of interest. They use local resources, such as parks and leisure facilities. This provides children with the opportunity to take part in activities which they may not be able to otherwise. Some children went on a short break to the seaside last summer. Again, such activities enhance the experiences of the children and enrich their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have their healthcare needs well met during their stays. Qualified nursing staff provide specialist care and support to children with complex physical healthcare needs. This includes oversight of all healthcare plans and the administration of medication. Nurses work alongside residential staff to ensure that children‟s healthcare needs are consistently met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is positive and sensitive planning for admissions. Staff and managers consider the individual needs of each child when matching them for a short-break stay. This enables children to form positive peer relationships and enjoy their time at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is purpose built to meet the needs of children with physical disabilities. It provides children with the resources and equipment that they need. There is ample and secure outside space for them to enjoy, with specialist play equipment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well with involved professionals and agencies to plan for children‟s transitions to adult services. Parents really value this close partnership working. One parent stated: „My child has been coming here for many years. The staff have supported us and our child to prepare for the next move so well. We really value them and will miss this service immensely.‟

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improvement to be good

There is a lack of clarity in relation to missing from care risk assessments. The risk assessments tend to be generic. They do not set out what actions staff should take if a child were to go missing. The information recorded is not consistent or clear. There is a lack of detailed information, such as a physical description of the child, a recent photograph and details of their carers and their contact details.

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improvement to be good

A requirement was set at the last inspection in relation to general risk assessments. This requirement has not been met. Risk assessments do not accurately or clearly reflect the Inspection report children‟s home: SC065730 6 current or changing needs of some children. They have not been regularly reviewed or updated on paper files. They lack a clear sense of what action staff should take if the control measures are inadequate. They do not reflect recent incidents or how any new risks should be managed.

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improvement to be good

Staff recruitment procedures have been improved. Records are now clearer about the checks undertaken by managers. The requirement set at the last inspection has been met. Two staff recruitment files did not indicate that written references were followed by telephone verification of the references. This would provide an additional safeguard during the recruitment process.

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improvement to be good

Staff closely monitor children‟s use of the internet and social media during their stays. This enables children to enjoy such experiences, while providing the necessary levels of scrutiny and oversight.

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improvement to be good

There have been no recorded complaints made by children or by others since the last inspection. Staff encourage children to communicate their wishes, feelings and views during their stays. Parents feel confident to raise any issues that they may have with staff or managers. An annual questionnaire is also sent out to all parents/carers to elicit their views. Managers consider the responses to inform the services provided.

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

The registered manager has been in post since 2015 and has the necessary skills, qualifications and experience for the role. Since November 2018, she has been undertaking a temporary role outside of the home. One of the deputy managers is acting up as manager in her absence. Ofsted has not been informed of the changes in the management arrangements at the home. This prevents the regulator from having clear oversight and understanding of important changes to the service.

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

The manager has failed to ensure that regular reviews of the quality of care provided are completed every six months. This undermines her ability to have robust management oversight of the services provided and the areas for improvement. Moreover, a report from such a review has not been sent to Ofsted since February 2018. This further undermines Ofsted‟s ability to oversee how the service is run.

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

Staff report satisfaction with their roles and the support that they receive. Staff are not provided with regular formal supervision to support them in their roles. This was identified as a shortfall at the last inspection. The requirement has been repeated at this inspection to address this shortfall.

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

Staff undertake a range of mandatory and non-mandatory training courses. Managers have an electronic system to record staff attendance and to identify when refresher training is due. Several staff have not completed mandatory refresher training within the agreed timescales. This could undermine their skills and competency in certain areas. There is a need for more robust management oversight and action to ensure that shortfalls do not arise. Inspection report children‟s home: SC065730 7 The service operates a dual recording system, consisting of paper and electronic case file records for each child. Paper records continue to be unclear, inconsistent in content and lacking evidence of being reviewed and updated. A particular issue relates to the setting and recording of the progress made by children against their identified targets. Paper files do not contain the education, health and care plans for children. Personal

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

evacuation and egress plans do not contain clear plans of action in the event of an emergency evacuation from the home.

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

Regular reviews take place to consider whether the service continues to meet the needs of each child receiving a short break. Paper files do not consistently contain minutes of each review meeting. Files do not consistently contain reports from residential staff for each review. It is not always clear whether a review took place, and the date of the next one is not included.

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

Previously identified shortfalls have been met. The statement of purpose has been regularly reviewed, updated and sent to Ofsted. The location risk assessment has been reviewed and updated. Fire evacuation procedures have been improved. There is now a detailed and comprehensive workforce development plan in place. Inspection report children‟s home: SC065730 8

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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 difference 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: SC065730 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Becket Children‟s Centre, 35 Stockbrook Street, Derby DE22 3WR

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Inspector:

Tracy Murty, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC065730 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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

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