Children's home run by Derby City Council in Derby

Inspection report children’s home: SC065730 1 SC065730 Registered provider: Derby City Council

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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 2016.

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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 good

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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: SC065730 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/01/2019 Full Good 25/09/2017 Full Good 02/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/10/2016 Full Good 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 registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to Ofsted. (Regulation 44 (1)(7)(a)) 12/09/2019

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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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy coming to the home for their short breaks. Parents and carers value the opportunity that the break provides to them and their children. Children receive personalised care and support during their visits. They can try out new activities and make friendships. They form positive relationships with the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers work closely with a range of other agencies. Staff ensure that the specific needs of children are always known and met. Staff also work very closely with parents and carers. One parent said: ‘They are like a second family to me and my child. They have and continue to be a significant part of our lives.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the complex healthcare needs of children well. They provide highly personalised and sensitive care. Suitably qualified and skilled staff meet the general and specialist healthcare needs of the children well during their short-break stays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children often come to the home directly from their school for a short-break stay. Staff work closely with education providers. This includes the setting of targets that are based on those set at school. This provides children with consistency and continuity of care. It enables them to work towards achieving realistic and achievable goals. Children are Inspection report children’s home: SC065730 4 supported to make choices for themselves. This can include being able to choose meals, clothing items and what activities they wish to take part in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel happy staying at the home. Children report feeling well looked after and say that they always have someone to talk to if they have a problem. They also report feeling involved in decisions about their lives. As one child stated, ‘I’m well looked after. Staff are amazing, it’s a wonderful place.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A number of children have used this short-break service for a very long time. Staff have a detailed understanding of their complex needs and are well placed to support them in their transition to other/adult services. Children feel supported to make the transition to adult service provisions. Staff attend all relevant meetings to advocate for them and explain their needs. There is close partnership working with transition services.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of each child’s vulnerabilities. They have a range of risk assessments in place. They regularly review and update risk assessments and care plans to ensure that they remain relevant.

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

There have been no reported incidents of children going missing. However, managers have now produced a missing-from-care risk assessment and protocol for each child. This clearly sets out the actions staff must take in the event of a child going missing.

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

Staff know the children very well. They understand their complexities and how best to support them with any behavioural issues. Children feel safe staying in this home. Parents similarly report having no concerns or worries about the welfare or safety of their children during their short-break stays.

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

Since the last inspection, the manager has put in place a new system to ensure that references for new staff will always be verified and clearly recorded.

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

Staff and managers work closely with the placing authority in relation to safeguarding concerns. They understand their roles and responsibilities. When children are the subject of a child protection plan, staff attend all relevant meetings and contribute fully to the plan. They work to support both the child and their parent/carer to reduce known risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has the necessary skills, qualifications and experience for the role. She is well regarded by her staff, parents/carers and other professionals. She has returned to her substantive post after a period of redeployment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Changes to the healthcare support offered to the home took place in May 2019. This has led to a reduction in the current level of service being offered to children and their families. Parents and carers have been fully involved in the process and consulted with on a regular basis. Inspection report children’s home: SC065730 5 Several shortfalls, identified during the last inspection, have been addressed in full. Staff now receive regular supervision. Clear plans ensure that all staff complete their mandatory training promptly. Additional specialist training is currently being provided for staff in relation to meeting some complex healthcare needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has undertaken regular reviews of the quality of care. She has ensured that reports from reviews have been sent to Ofsted. This enables the regulator to have oversight into how the home is run.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has made improvements in record-keeping. Children’s files now include details of review meetings and the reports that are prepared by staff to inform those meetings. Case records for children are held in both paper and electronic forms. Managers have good oversight of both. They ensure that staff make accurate, clear and signed entries.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor has not made the required monthly visits to the home. There has been a gap of several months between visits. This does not ensure that the quality of care is robustly monitored or enable the regulator to have clear oversight of how the home is being run.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is purpose-built and provides spacious accommodation for children. However, several internal areas of the home present as rather clinical and institutionalised. Improvements to make the home more welcoming and homelier could be made.

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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: SC065730 6

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Tracy Murty, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC065730 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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