Children's home run by Nottinghamshire County Council

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

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: SC044291 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/07/2018 Full Good 07/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/06/2017 Full Good 14/02/2017 Interim Improved 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

Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff–

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(a)(b)(c)) 15/07/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC044291 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people develop positive, trusting relationships with carers. Staff are persistent, creative and tenacious in building relationships with young people. This is particularly relevant for young people who have experienced loss and considerable change. One young person said: ‘Staff have helped me to sort my life out.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each young person has an individualised care plan, with clear expectations and incentives to encourage progress. Achievements and positive changes are reinforced and celebrated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some young people have previously had poor experiences in education. Staff have worked with partners to support young people’s engagement in education. One young person has made exceptional progress from his starting point. He has taken exams and is considering vocational training options for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Unfortunately, there has been delay in progressing one young person’s education plan. Attempts have been made to ensure that he is in the right education setting to support his progress. The home’s managers have escalated their concerns about delay. At the time of the inspection, this matter had not been resolved and a requirement is made to ensure that it is escalated again and that the managers and placing authority review the circumstances leading to delay to prevent it from happening again.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers are child centred and ensure that young people contribute to their care plans and risk-management plans. Young people have a say in day-to-day decisions about their care. There has been a small number of complaints, but all have been resolved. Young people have regular home meetings where they can influence how the home is run. A recent example was a discussion about sanctions and what the young people believe works for them. This has resulted in changes in the use of sanctions. Young people have been involved in developing the home’s newsletter. They have contributed to the review of the community assessment and the development plan for the home. They have also contributed to the recruitment of new staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with social workers and families to ensure that young people sustain any relationships that are important to them. Staff monitor the arrangements for one young person to support safe visits.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the development of independence skills in all young people. This is included in young people’s care planning, and their developing skills are assessed. Young people are responsible for their rooms. They learn to shop, cook and manage budgets. Inspection report children’s home: SC044291 5

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

Staff work well with partner agencies to keep young people safe. There are robust risk-management plans in place. These plans are informed by continuous assessment of risks and emerging behaviours. Plans are discussed with young people and reviewed and updated regularly so that they remain relevant.

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

Staff understand the risks associated with young people going missing and being away from home without agreement. They proactively look for young people, remain in contact where possible and report concerns appropriately. Most incidents have been short periods of being away from the home without authorisation.

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

When there have been incidents of concern, staff have followed the joint ’missing’ protocol and have reported their concerns to the police. Some of these incidents have included risky behaviours, such as substance misuse.

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

Managers and staff have had training to recognise when young people are vulnerable to criminal and/or sexual exploitation. Managers have appropriately requested multi-agency meetings to assess concerns and agree a plan to support the young person to keep safe.

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

There is a robust response to substance misuse. This includes explicit contracts with young people regarding the use of mobile phones and searches in the home. Managers have liaised with families, police, the substance misuse service and the youth offending service to ensure that the young person’s network consistently addresses and disrupts substance misuse. The impact of a robust multi-agency response is reduced substance misuse, reduced incidents of being missing and reduced incidents of violence and aggression.

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

The managers implement safe recruitment processes. There is a thorough induction that includes the responsibility for delivering safe care and a monitored probation period. All supervisions include discussing safeguarding concerns and practice. Staff are made aware of the whistleblowing procedure and their personal-conduct responsibilities from the start of joining the service.

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

Staff receive a range of safeguarding training, and the registered manager uses team meetings to disseminate information about emerging child protection concerns and to refresh and test safeguarding knowledge and skills. Staff spoken to during the inspection were aware of their safeguarding responsibilities, and records demonstrated the staff’s commitment to keeping children safe. Inspection report children’s home: SC044291 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager of this home is an experienced, inspirational leader. She refers to having a ‘confident, skilled and assertive staff team’. She acts as a role model in her commitment to the young people living at the home. She is aspirational for them, champions them and ensures that all achievements and good news are celebrated. She is a hands-on manager who is daily involved in young people’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team and managers build positive, trusting relationships with young people. When there have been setbacks to progress, the team is tenacious in finding out what this is about and has a plan in place to support each young person to resolve them. There is a genuine culture of learning from incidents and setbacks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff report that they are positive about their team and their work environment. Staff receive regular supervision that adds value to their practice and have excellent development opportunities. For example, one member of staff is the lead for e-safety and has developed guidance for staff to raise awareness and improve practice. Another member of staff is the lead for the anti-bullying policy and ensures that staff confidently promote positive relationships in their work with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are examples of the management team identifying and effectively addressing staff performance and safe-practice issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home has a good track record for partnership working, and it refers to specialist services and seeks advice appropriately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager leads on the management of actual or potential aggression training. There have been no physical restraints at this home since the previous inspection. All incidents are rigorously reviewed to ensure that appropriate decision-making takes place. The manager has developed a restraint-reduction policy that is being considered by managers at the local authority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has also developed a strategy which has been shared with colleagues and partner agencies that involves a consistent approach to reducing substance misuse for children looked after in residential care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team uses a range of quality assurance mechanisms effectively to continuously improve practice and outcomes for young people. Managers know and understand the needs of the young people, and know what progress they are making and where further progress needs to be made. The home has very positive reports from the independent visitor. Any recommendations made are promptly addressed. Inspection report children’s home: SC044291 7

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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: SC044291 8

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Children's home details

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

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Inspector:

Cathey Moriarty, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC044291 9 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:

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