Children's Home run by North Lincolnshire Council in North Lincolnshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC472449 1 SC472449 Registered provider: North Lincolnshire 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. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children or young people. The manager was registered in September 2013.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 November 2019

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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

Date of last inspection: 5 February 2019

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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: SC472449 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2019 Full Good 07/02/2018 Full Good 14/12/2016 Full Outstanding 23/05/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC472449 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, the 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

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

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)) 31/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child ─

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Requirement Due date

imposing a financial penalty, other than a requirement for the payment of a reasonable sum (which may be by instalments) by way of reparation. (Regulation 19 (1)(2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the practice of deducting a child and young person’s pocket money when they are missing from the home overnight ends. 31/01/2020

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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 six months.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that written reviews include the views of these people and any subsequent action taken as a result or reasons for not taking any action. 31/01/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC472449 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person must specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28). In particular, missing person action plans should be individualised in line with the risks to each child, indicating at what point a child is considered to be missing and specifying the actions to be taken by staff at that time.  Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children and young people recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38). In particular, continue to embed restorative practice and

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Recommendations

positive behaviour management strategies and avoid the use of sanctions that are not restorative.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff provide the children and young people with a caring and nurturing environment. This gives the children and young people a stable, safe and secure home to live in. The children and young people gave positive feedback about their care, the staff and where they live.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are committed to the children and young people’s welfare and persistently promote their needs. For example, during the inspection the staff promptly resolved an issue about a child’s health diagnosis so that he could go back to school the next day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people return to some form of education provision and improve their attendance as a result of living at the home. The staff also promote wider educational activities, such as the children and young people’s healthcare, parenting skills (for a pregnant young person) and trips to museums if they are not able to attend school. One young person was able to progress to an apprenticeship in catering. This is a result of the staff working closely with their partner agencies to explore education provision that will meet the needs of the children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff promote the children and young people’s physical and mental health needs. There is good support for attending appointments. When there are a series of complex appointments, the children and young people benefit from the consistency of having the same member of staff go with them each time. The staff encourage healthy eating and exercise and persuade the children and young people to reduce the amount that they smoke. The children and young people’s health needs are clearly recorded, and the staff ensure Inspection report children’s home: SC472449 5 that they receive the support that they need. This includes specialist help from the local child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) and other therapeutic workers. There are staff with counselling skills, and the home environment helps the children and young people feel less anxious.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people enjoy their hobbies, such as fishing. The staff help them to take part in competitions. The staff are quick to promote activities for children and young people who are new to the home so that they can continue to enjoy their leisure interests as soon as possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children and young people to spend time with their relatives and friends. This promotes their identity and maintains relationships that are important to the children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is thorough planning for children and young people moving into and out of the home. The home and the local authority have invested considerably in making these transitions successful. The impact of children and young people moving in is thoroughly assessed. Additional staff work in the home if needed during this period to minimise any risks. When there is subsequent impact, such as bullying, the staff address this with the children and young people to minimise its adverse effects.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who are approaching adulthood benefit from completing independence programmes that develop their skills. They have the opportunity to move into their own flat next door if this is the right move for them. The staff continue to support the young people in these flats or out in the wider community. This helps to make the young people’s transitions to independent living positive, and there is a degree of consistency in their care from the familiar adults who are helping them.

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

The safety of the children and young people is prioritised. They all have individual risk management strategies implemented by the staff in order to reduce the assessed risks and keep the children and young people safe.

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

The staff’s missing from home practice is proactive. The staff are committed to searching for the children and young people when they are missing and work hard to disrupt any exploitative relationships. In recognition, the home has won an award for its partnership work with the police and youth offending service and the persistent efforts to keep the children and young people safe. The children and young people’s missing person action plans are not as individualised as they could be in differentiating the responses required by staff in relation to the children and young people’s different ages and vulnerabilities. To date, this has not had an adverse effect on the safety of the children and young people as the staff know what action to take.

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

The staff understand the risks to the children and young people arising from their vulnerability to exploitation, the danger of internet use, self-harm and harmful sexual behaviours. The staff use their safeguarding knowledge to regularly advise the children Inspection report children’s home: SC472449 6 and young people on how to be safe. The records of these conversations have improved since the last inspection, and these records better reflect the views of the children and young people. This support from staff is supplemented by the children and young people talking to other professionals who have expertise in these safeguarding areas. Consequently, the children and young people develop their sense of personal safety.

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

The manager ensures that risk assessments are regularly reviewed and added to when new risks become apparent, such as the children and young people swimming in the local pond. Changes are communicated within the staff team, keeping all the staff up to date.

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

More effective use of room searches and the increased monitoring of the children and young people’s internet use have helped to improve their safety. These practices are kept under review to balance the risks against the children and young people’s privacy and independence.

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

The staff build positive and trusting relationships with the children and young people. The staff use these relationships to promote good behaviour and de-escalate incidents when the children and young people’s behaviour is difficult to deal with. The staff’s use of physical intervention is a last resort and minimal force is used. There is good oversight from the management team to ensure that this practice and the use of sanctions to deter poor behaviour are appropriate. Occasionally, sanctions have been overturned. Positive behaviour management strategies and restorative practice are not fully embedded. This dilutes the staff’s efforts to help the children and young people to understand the impact of their behaviour. It limits the children and young people’s opportunities to make amends and build better relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a permanent and experienced manager, who is supported by two deputies who are able to stand in when she is absent. As a management team, they provide good leadership for the staff and support them to meet the needs of the children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff want the best for the children and young people. This is reflected in the thorough care planning and risk management practice, ethos and values of the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff, manager and senior managers respond well to the children and young people’s points of view. This includes their views on the day-to-day running of the home, such as meals and activities, as well as bigger decisions about where the children and young people want to live. For example, two of the young people have had their wishes about moving to independent living acted on.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The senior staff keep a good overview of the children and young people’s experiences and progress. This overview is used to guide staff to maintain and develop good standards of care. Case supervision is used well to promote the children and young Inspection report children’s home: SC472449 7 people’s needs and shows their journey since admission to the home. The cohesive and resilient staff team benefits from these supervision and support arrangements. There are frequent opportunities, formal and informal, to discuss and reflect on the care of the children young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Communication between staff is effective; they frequently talk to each other about the children and young people’s daily experiences, so all the staff are reliably informed. Regular team meetings contribute towards the good communication and are enhanced as a result of input from the local CAMHS team, that gives advice about promoting the children and young people’s emotional well-being. The staff undertake relevant training, such as on self-harm, attachment and mental health. This supportive environment for the staff means that the children and young people are assisted to develop their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is extensive work undertaken with partner agencies and professionals. This includes the local authority children’s services, the police and the youth offending service. The manager and staff are proactive and committed to working in partnership. They are open to criticism and will also challenge their partners when it is appropriate. This provides the children and young people with a well-resourced network of professional support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The way in which the home is running is regularly reviewed, which includes how well the children and young people are safeguarded and their welfare promoted. This review includes monthly independent assessments and the manager’s six-monthly reviews. These contribute towards a system of continuous improvement. The last manager’s review failed to capture the views of the children and young people and of their social workers, as required by regulation. Given the way in which the children and young people are listened to and the close partnership work with the local authority, this omission has not had an effect on the standards of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

As required from the last inspection, the manager has acted to reduce the number of financial consequences for the children, but these have not been eradicated completely. Practice has improved, and there are more appropriate use of room searches and suitable monitoring of the children and young people’s internet use.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the running of the home is in line with the aims and objectives set out in the home’s statement of purpose. However, this document has not been accurately reviewed to reflect the use of an off-site provision, and the last review was not sent to Ofsted as required by regulation.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC472449 8 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: SC472449 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: North Lincolnshire Council, Pittwood House, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire DN16 1AB

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Inspector

Simon Morley: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC472449 10 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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