Children's Home run by Derby City Council in Derby

Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 1 SC488596 Registered provider: Derby City Council

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children and young people who need support with emotional and/or behavioural problems.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since January 2019.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 5 December 2018

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/12/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/10/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 3

p.2

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.3

Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

p.3

Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills, and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedures to be followed in the case of fire. (Regulation 25(1)(d)) 30/08/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The requirements are that—

p.3

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

p.3

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to securing full references and verifying them. (Regulation 32(1)(3)(d)) 30/08/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.3

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33(4)(a)) 30/08/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year, taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

p.3

Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46(1)(2)) 30/08/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 4

p.3

Recommendations

 Homes should maintain effective working relationships with local police services. This specifically relates to the need to ensure that the local police are promptly notified of any new admissions to the home, or when children move out. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.5)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points, in all areas of their lives. They receive sensitive care from a very dedicated staff team and managers. They learn to trust staff and others over time. They feel able to share their views and feelings openly with the staff team.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive multi-agency working is evident. Children receive care and support from a wide range of professionals and agencies. Managers and staff also work closely with parents and carers, where appropriate. They see the value in promoting positive contact and relationships. Children value this, as do their family members.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have appropriate education provision in place. Staff and managers have worked hard to achieve this. They work closely with the virtual school head and local education providers. Staff and managers understand the anxiety children experience when they have been out of education for some time. They sensitively support and help children to re-engage in education. They promote a learning culture in the home.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have their health needs well met. Specialist support is sought and provided, as well as routine health support. Staff and managers have access to consultation from specialist health and well-being services. This enables them to consider specific children and plan for how their complex emotional healthcare needs will be met.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children present as confident and able to speak openly with the staff team. Staff encourage them to share their wishes, views and feelings on a daily basis. Children know how to complain and reported that they feel confident that managers will respond attentively to their concerns. Staff support children to ensure that their rights and entitlements are met. Staff and managers challenge other agencies when children’s rights and needs are not being met.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported in preparation for their eventual move on from this home. Staff actively encourage and support them to learn the necessary skills to make a Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 5 successful move. Children learn how to cook, budget and manage their own healthcare needs.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is currently no formal system in place for notifying the local police when a child first moves into the home. Such a system would enable the police to have a clear and accurate record of each child placed, and any specific issues or concerns.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The current system for considering new placements does not clearly consider the impact of new placements on children already living in the home. Managers previously held back on placing any new children, reflecting the complex needs of children living in the home. This practice has now ended, meeting the recommendation set at the last inspection.

p.5

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

Risks for children are well known, and are recorded and considered thoroughly by the staff team. Detailed, clear risk assessments and plans reflect the current and changing needs of each child. Agencies praise staff and managers for their attention to this important area. Staff regularly review and update all risk assessments to ensure that they continue to meet the children’s needs.

p.5

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

There is a positive and proactive response to children who go missing from care. Staff always follow agreed risk assessments. They work closely and proactively with the police, placing social workers and family members to ensure the safe return of children. Independent return home interviews are carried out. This provides children with a sense of security and reminds them that staff genuinely care about their safety. It also enables managers to consider any patterns and trends for such behaviours by children and to learn from them.

p.5

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

Children understand the boundaries which staff put in place for them. They reported that they feel safe living at the home. They feel that staff care about them and their safety and well-being. Over time, their concerning behaviours decrease. The staff show real tenacity and commitment to the children. One agency stated: ‘They never give up, even when children present with extremely challenging behaviours.’

p.5

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

There is a commendable commitment to reducing the need for police intervention and the criminalisation of children. Staff and managers work closely with police and youth offending services to support children. Restorative practices are employed to minimise the potential for children to be charged with any offences.

p.5

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

Staff and managers do not routinely ensure that fire evacuation drills are carried out when children first move into the home. Drills are undertaken at agreed intervals throughout the year, but children may not know the procedures to follow in the event of a fire without having had these demonstrated to them on admission.

p.5

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

Staff recruitment processes are generally robust and prevent unsuitable adults from working with vulnerable children. One file considered did not clearly reflect the processes Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 6 followed in relation to reference checks and verifications. It is important that all personnel files contain clear and detailed accounts of the decision-making process with regard to the employment of staff members.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is currently off sick. Her position is being covered by the deputy manager. The deputy manager is very experienced and has previously performed the role of acting manager for another children’s home locally.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers demonstrate a detailed understanding of the progress children make. Staff and managers act as positive and strong advocates for children. The virtual school head said: ‘The interim manager is absolutely fantastic – so thorough. She is always thinking of the next steps needed for children.’ Managers ensure that plans and risk assessments accurately reflect the current and changing needs of each child living at the home.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from placing social workers is consistently positive. They all reported excellent verbal and written communication from staff and managers. They reported that managers and staff work as a team around the child, to ensure that their holistic needs are met. The local police also reported having a positive and close working relationship with managers and staff. This provides good support for children.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that they feel valued and well-supported by managers. They receive regular formal supervision and attend team meetings to discuss the progress of the children and the wider services provided. Staff value the daily informal support provided by the manager and colleagues. One staff member said: ‘The manager will send an email to thank me for a piece of work I have done. Things like that really make me feel valued.’

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The location risk assessment for the home has not been reviewed and updated within the past year. The interim manager is aware of this minor shortfall and intends to undertake the review and consult with relevant agencies soon.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff would benefit from having specific training in relation to mental health issues. They provide good support and care for children, which would be improved by having such training and development opportunities.

p.6

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 Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 7 after.

p.6

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: SC488596 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Derby City Council, Treasurers Department, Council House, Corporation Street, Derby DE1 2FE

p.8

Inspector:

Tracy Murty: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC488596 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

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.9

Inspector:

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

p.9

Inspector:

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

p.9