Children's Home run by Good News Nwk Ltd in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1277479 1 Registered provider: Good News Nwk Ltd

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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 privately operated children’s home providing care and accommodation for up to two children aged between eight and 17. Children have learning disabilities within the autistic spectrum. The manager was registered by Ofsted in April 2018. The manager is currently undertaking the required qualification for registered managers.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 February 2019

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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 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: this is the first inspection since registration of the home.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1277479 2

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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)) 05/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping and safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1)(2)(c)) 05/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 05/04/2019

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislation (alarms, food, hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report children’s home: 1277479 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the first inspection of the home since registration with Ofsted. One young person was living at the home during this inspection. Since moving to the home, he has made progress. He has become more settled and his behaviour has improved. His father said, ‘They have been brilliant with my son and he has progressed so much.’ The young person is comfortable with staff. He presents as happy and relaxed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person recently started a new school. Staff helped and supported him through this difficult transition. He has quickly settled at school and is beginning to make progress. The staff provide daily information to help the school staff manage the young person’s behaviour, to engage him educationally, and to better support his overall educational and behavioural development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff provide good support to ensure that the young person gets to see his parents and family regularly. The staff understand the importance of these relationships to the young person. Staff adhere to the plans developed by the local authority to ensure that these important relationships are maintained in a safe and positive manner. Staff provide the emotional and practical support that the young person needs to continue enjoying seeing those close and important to him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When the young person moved into the home, the manager ensured that he understood his rights, his entitlements and how his day-to-day care would be provided. This helps to ensure that the young person understands what he can expect from living in the home and how to raise his concerns if he is unhappy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have not ensured that the home is maintained to a high standard. At the time of the inspection, rubbish was discarded to the exterior of the home. Additionally, there was a lack of personalisation. For example, no pictures of the young person or his family were displayed as you might expect in a home. Also, the young person’s interests are not represented in the decoration of his bedroom. For example, although he is keen on football there were no posters of his favourite team. The manager has also not assured herself that physical adaptations to the home, used to keep expensive items safe, are necessary or proportionate.

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

Young people have been settled. There have been very few incidents of concern. On one occasion, a young person went missing while out with staff. Staff acted quickly and effectively in contacting the police and local authority. The staff searched the local area and coordinated the efforts of the other services. The young person was safeguarded because of the swift actions taken by staff. Inspection report children’s home: 1277479 4 Staff manage the behaviour of young people well. This is because they quickly build good relationships and empathise with young people’s worries and frustrations. Staff are vigilant and quickly recognise when difficult situations are escalating. Staff will use discussion with young people, distraction and other techniques to prevent situations becoming unmanageable. This has been successful. Staff have not had to physically restrain a young person. The use of sanctions is rare.

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

The manager ensures compliance with safer recruitment policies. This reduces the risk of harm to young people from those caring for them. The manager makes sure that new employees are thoroughly vetted. Consequently, staff do not work with young people until the manager knows that their intentions are good.

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

The staff’s safeguarding practice is not helped because risk assessment systems are not sufficiently strong. Risk assessments fail to adequately set out the actions required of staff to safeguard young people.

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

The manager is relatively new to this position and she has not yet completed the required qualification for registered managers. She is currently enrolled on the programme. This inspection has identified some areas of management oversight that require further improvement to be good.

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

The manager has not adequately overseen the medication recording process. There are numerous entries in medication records that are incorrect. There is no evidence that medication has been incorrectly administered, but the manager should be providing clearer direction to staff. The manager should, through her own quality assurance processes, have been aware of errors and sought to rectify these immediately.

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

Complaints have not been managed satisfactorily. Staff received a complaint from a neighbour. The manager did not address this as a formal complaint. There was no record made of the complaint and no investigation. The failure to respond well to complaints from neighbours has the potential to damage community relations.

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

Staff have used their own cars to transport young people. The manager has not assured herself that staff have the correct insurance cover to transport young people or verified the roadworthiness of the vehicles. The manager has also omitted to complete a detailed risk assessment for transporting young people.

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

Staff receive regular professional supervision. Supervision is of a good standard. The manager spends a great deal of time discussing the care needs of the young people. The manager sets actions to improve staff performance. The training and developmental needs of staff are also addressed well through supervision.

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

The manager recognises that the home is still developing. She is focused on establishing a more cohesive staff team to provide better continuity of care for young people. The manager understands that she needs to provide a greater level of scrutiny to ensure full Inspection report children’s home: 1277479 5 compliance with regulatory requirements and to help young people to make progress.

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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: 1277479 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Pippin Close, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire NN8 2DN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nokuthula Mangwendeza

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Inspector

Phillip Morris, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1277479 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 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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