Three Gables

Inspection report children’s home: SC065553 1 SC065553 Registered provider: Derbyshire County 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

A local authority operates this home. The home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional, behavioural and social difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 13 September 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: SC065553 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2018 Full Outstanding 07/02/2018 Full Good 24/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 18/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC065553 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people make this place their home. They live at the home for many years, making substantial progress and developing a real sense of self-worth. Staff know the young people very well and have an unconditional positive regard for them. Staff value young people’s wishes and feelings and help them to express their views clearly. They are ambitious for young people and fully support them to achieve their aspirations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people move into the home in a well-planned and carefully considered way. This helps them to settle quickly. They are happy and benefit from the warm and nurturing relationships they have with staff. A social worker said: ‘This child is completely different. He is now a happy, smiley child.’ All young people are engaging well with school or college and making friends. Friends are welcomed into the home and often stay for tea.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people have rich and varied experiences. They participate in a wealth of activities. One young person went fishing, caught a rainbow trout, brought it home, gutted it and cooked it on the barbeque. Another was interviewed by the BBC about his involvement with the ‘Exchanging Notes’ music programme. One young person has been bowling and to the cinema, something that he had not done before. Young people enjoy the company of the various dogs that are brought in to the home by staff, taking them out for walks and playing with them. These experiences help to build young people’s confidence, self- esteem and belief in themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people with a transgender identity are fully supported to live their life as the person they want to be, without prejudice. For one young person, self-harm and low self-esteem have given way to self-confidence and self-belief. This has enabled him to write about his journey as a transgender person in care so that others can learn from it.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Some young people have recently left the home after very successful placements. They were very well prepared for the next stages of their lives. For example, one young person earned a highly acclaimed sports qualification; another passed their driving test. They are either in college or completing an apprenticeship. They continue to be supported by staff with the offer of a chat and a friendly face. The experience of living in this home has enhanced their life chances significantly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people learn important life skills. Managers have developed a fun, interactive life skills programme that sets challenges for young people to complete, such as to cook for two for £5 or less. Young people achieve certificates and receive vouchers for completing the various stages. The important life skills they learn in this home help them to move onto independent living successfully.

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

Staff build trusting and secure relationships with young people, fully implementing their therapeutic models, such as PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy). Inspection report children’s home: SC065553 4 Staff invest time in getting to know young people and talking to them about how to keep themselves safe. This enables young people to feel safe and secure. It also ensures that risk-taking behaviours such as going missing, taking illegal substances and self-harm are reduced significantly.

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

Highly effective planning helps to manage and minimise risks for young people. Staff demonstrate great insight into the triggers that cause young people to go missing or harm themselves. They implement proactive and effective measures to prevent these harmful behaviours. When an incident occurs, staff are nurturing in their approach. For example, when a young person returns from being missing, staff draw them a bath, get them something to eat and settle them into bed. The deputy manager said: ‘We want them to want to come back.’

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

Behaviour management strategies are excellent. Restorative discussions have proved to be highly effective in guiding young people toward better behaviour. This demonstrates the great expertise of the staff in managing challenging behaviour.

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

Vetting procedures are robust and help to protect young people from unsuitable adults. However, information sent from the local authority to the home about Disclosure and Barring Service certificates does not fully meet Ofsted guidance. This has been discussed with the local authority, and the registered manager said that he will look at how to resolve this going forward. There has been no impact for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is qualified and very experienced. He is ably supported by his deputy manager. They are child focused and therapeutically minded. Creative and innovative practice enables young people to be supported to achieve their aspirations and to keep themselves safe. Highly effective monitoring systems improve the experiences and care of young people. For example, behavioural patterns and trends are fully analysed and understood. This analysis informs support plans so that risk-taking behaviours are reduced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team has a thorough understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. Effective and decisive action is taken to address any shortfalls. Continued investment in therapeutic practice ensures that the managers and staff are instrumental in improving the lives of the young people in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The established, qualified and highly skilled staff team builds secure, supportive and nurturing relationships with young people. Staff know how to keep young people safe. They are passionate, committed and highly motivated to achieve the best outcomes for young people. Staff are reflective and embrace the home’s therapeutic model. A psychologist said: ‘They are one of my A-star homes.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are very well supported. High-quality induction and training programmes, as well as effective supervision and appraisal systems, mean that staff have the skills and knowledge to provide exceptional care. Inspection report children’s home: SC065553 5 Professionals are highly complimentary about the staff and the management team. Exceptional partnership working improves the lives of young people and helps to keep them safe.

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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: SC065553 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Derbyshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Offices, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 3AG

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Inspector

Joanne Vyas, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC065553 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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