Children's home run by Nottinghamshire County Council

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC044692 1 SC044692

p.1

Nottinghamshire County Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides care for up to four children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A qualified and experienced manager has recently been appointed and registered.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 18 December 2018. In January 2019, the provider made the decision to move children living in the home to alternative placements. Since then, children have not been resident in the home.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The provider has informed Ofsted of its intentions to admit children to the home at the end of November 2019.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit has been undertaken to assess the readiness of the home to admit children and to review the progress that has been made in addressing the shortfalls identified at the last inspection.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Senior managers have taken the following actions:

p.1

This monitoring visit

 An experienced home manager has been appointed and has been registered. He is working with senior managers and the staff team to improve the home in line with its development plan.  Care staff have been redeployed on a temporary basis to other children’s homes within the provider group. They have benefited from supervision, training, development opportunities and mentoring within those settings. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC044692 2  The assistant manager has shadowed and received coaching from managers in other homes.  A robust training plan for care staff and managers has been implemented. The training plan has a focus on safeguarding practice, skills and knowledge.  Senior managers and the designated officer from the local authority have concluded a small number of child protection investigations. Although two other investigations are not yet finished, there are no concerns about the safety and

p.1

This monitoring visit

welfare of children at this time.  Some staff have been, and continue to be, subject to performance management plans. Their progress is regularly reviewed.  Lessons have been learned about the impact of inconsistency within the staff group. The staff team has benefited from regular team meetings, bespoke training, management consultancy, and team development days. These have addressed appropriate conduct and team culture. Managers and consultants confirm that team cohesion has improved.  Managers have improved pre-admission information-sharing and assessment systems. In addition, there will be more robust multi-agency information-sharing meetings shortly after a child moves in to provide a shared understanding of the child’s needs and behaviours.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Staff and managers understand the serious nature of the child protection concerns identified during the inspection. Managers are confident that staff know and understand child protection policies, procedures and their personal responsibility to report poor practice and/or potential harm to children. Senior managers have put mechanisms in place to improve management monitoring.

p.2

This monitoring visit

As a result of the changes and developments made, Ofsted believes that managers have demonstrated the potential to provide good, safe care.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The requirements set at the last inspection remain relevant because there have been no children resident since January 2019. They are carried over. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC044692 3

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2018 Full Inadequate 08/02/2018 Full Outstanding 21/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/12/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC044692 4

p.3

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.4

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

p.4

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

p.4

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.4

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.4

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

p.4

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)) 27/03/20

p.4

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. 27/03/20 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC044692 5 (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(e)) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful.

p.5

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(vi)) 27/03/20

p.5

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.5

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

p.5

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 27/03/20 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC044692 6

p.5

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

p.6

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC044692 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nottinghamshire County Council

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Nottinghamshire County Council, County Hall, Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7QP

p.7

Inspector

Cathey Moriarty, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC044692 8 to 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.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8