Children's Home run by Derby City Council in Derby

Inspection report children‟s home: SC488596 1 SC488596 Registered provider: Derby City Council Interim 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 is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children and young people who need support with emotional and/or behavioural problems. The registered manager has been registered since January 2019.

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Judgement at last inspection: good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Three of the four requirements set at the last inspection have not been met. These requirements have been set again following this inspection. Two recommendations were set at the last inspection. One of these recommendations has been met. The other recommendation has now been set as a requirement.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children are not making progress, and none are in full-time education. This is due to ineffective placement matching and an inability to access suitable education provision. One child previously fully engaged in their education, but she is now refusing to attend. This is due, in part, to the distance to her school placement. There is a lack of structured activity in place for children who are not attending education. Inspection report children‟s home: SC488596 2 Eleven children have been placed at the home since January 2019. Ten of these placements were made in an emergency, and only one child’s placement at the home was planned. This situation makes it difficult to consider the needs of the children already living at the home and does not provide for good matching.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not receive specific training to manage the complex needs of the children admitted to the home. In addition to this, not all staff have regular refresher mandatory training, such as in physical intervention, the administration of medication and first aid. Due to gaps in training, potentially not all shifts will have sufficient skilled, suitably qualified and experienced staff.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Ofsted is not always notified of serious incidents in a timely manner. This does not provide Ofsted with appropriate oversight of how well children are being cared for.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Risk assessments, care plans and behaviour support plans have not been updated in response to serious incidents and events. These plans do not fully reflect the current concerns and areas of risk. Staff do not have clear guidance about what actions they should take to reduce the risks posed to, or from, children.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Fire evacuation drills are not being carried out regularly enough with children or staff. Two children have not taken part in a fire evacuation drill since arriving at the home. There is no record of which staff have received fire training or whether they have taken part in drills. This leaves children vulnerable as neither the staff nor the children are fully aware of these processes.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Management monitoring and oversight has declined. This is, in part, due to the acting manager covering shifts due to staffing issues. Several key reports have not been completed or updated, so the information held by managers does not accurately reflect the care being provided to children. The manager has not carried out a review of the quality of care, or sent a copy of this to Ofsted, as required by regulation.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Independent visits, which should be carried out monthly, take place sporadically. The home has only had two visits in the last nine months. This does not provide the home with independent scrutiny and the infrequent visits mean that recommendations are not being made to support the management of the home. This lack of oversight has undoubtedly impaired the manager’s ability to identify and consider areas of need.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Serious shortfalls have been identified in the administration of medication and associated record-keeping. The last medication audit was undertaken in July 2019. There is no clear audit of medication coming into the home and significant amounts of medication could not be accounted for. The shortfalls identified could have a serious impact on the children at the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff recruitment processes require improvement. However, appropriate checks are carried out for agency staff employed at the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home’s statement of purpose is out of date. It does not accurately reflect the Inspection report children‟s home: SC488596 3 current staffing or management of the home. A copy has not been sent to Ofsted since last year. This does not enable Ofsted to have a clear or accurate sense of how the home is staffed.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/07/2019 Full Good 05/12/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/10/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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

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

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 20/12/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC488596 4 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 20/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify Ofsted of any revisions and send Ofsted a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that— a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 23 (1)(2)(c)) * 20/12/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC488596 5 The registered person must notify Ofsted and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to Ofsted.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to Ofsted a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection. Inspection report children‟s home: SC488596 6 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’.

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

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

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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

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