Children's home run by North East Lincolnshire Council

Inspection report children‟s home: SC058750 1 SC058750 Registered provider: North East Lincolnshire Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority operates and runs this home. It provides care for up to four children and young people whose plan is to live in a medium- to long-term residential setting. The manager is suitably qualified and has been in post since September 2015. She became the registered manager in June 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 requires improvement to be 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: SC058750 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/08/2018 Full Good 18/09/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC058750 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

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13(2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, only children and young people whose needs can be met in line with the home’s statement of purpose should move into the home. 14/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which–

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36(1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the children and young people’s s records should include copies of any plan for their care prepared by their placing authority, including the placement plan. 14/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI 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. (Regulation 40(4)(b)) 14/02/2020

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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 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45(1), (4)(a)) 14/02/2020 Inspection report children‟s home: SC058750 4

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Recommendation

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The statement of purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) This is with particular reference to the manager ensuring that the completed impact risk assessments detail the considered impact on the existing group of children and young people. Inspection report children‟s home: SC058750 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people are making sustained and measurable progress from their starting points. A professional said: ‘Before moving into the home, [child’s s name] only knew a life of living in crisis, without any routines or boundaries. Their life has vastly improved. ’ Another child’s pr s progress has enabled them to move into foster care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people are committed to their education, which enables them to achieve good outcomes. The staff and professionals involved in the children and young people’s s education work well together to address any barriers to their learning. Each day, the staff successfully motivate and encourage the children and young people to go to school. As a result, one child’s s vocabulary and comprehension of the English language have developed, from just four to over 300 words. This child can now confidently express his wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people enjoy a range of community- and home-based activities. They have formed happy memories of their experiences of going on holiday and trips to the theatre with the staff. One young person is an active member of a children’s s participation group, and is making a real difference to children’s s lives and experiences in the local area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people know that their friends and family are always welcome at the home. The staff facilitate arrangements to help the children and young people to spend time with those who are of importance to them. Staff work closely with the children and young people to help them to understand why they are unable to live with their families and, where possible, promote positive contact

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people’s s health needs are met by the committed staff, who promote a balanced and varied diet. Staff ensure that the children and young people have good dental and optical care and attend routine appointments. Direct work with specialist therapeutic services allows children and young people to understand their childhood experiences and the reasons why they are not living at home. The staff also work closely with the specialists to improve both their own understanding and the effectiveness of their responses to the children and young people.

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

Comprehensive risk assessments identify clearly the children and young people’s individual vulnerabilities and risks. Regular updates to the documents ensure that staff adopt only strategies that are deemed effective at keeping the children and young people safe. This means that some children are supervised when out in the community, while other young people’s mobile phone usage is monitored and managed by the staff.

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

Allegations about staff conduct and harm to children and young people are thoroughly Inspection report children‟s home: SC058750 6 investigated. Immediate action, following a partnership approach with relevant professionals, supports the safety and protection of children and young people. There are high levels of staff supervision. Through observation and engagement with the children and young people, the staff have identified that a young person received indecent images on their mobile phone. The manager, with her team, was responsive to these concerns and implemented protective measures. However, the regulator was not informed of this significant incident, and there have been delays in the submission of other notifications.

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

The children and young people view the house as their home and say that they feel safe and secure. When issues and disagreements arise between the children and young people, the staff respond appropriately, teaching the children and young people about tolerance. Despite staff’s best efforts to protect, on one occasion a young person was physically assaulted by another child. Staff responded immediately with appropriate safeguards and support.

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

The direct work, consistent boundaries and good relationships with staff have led to an improvement in the children and young people’s behaviours from their starting points. Key-working discussions are frequently undertaken to educate and provide the children and young people with continued help, direction and support. This has helped them to become more reflective, to understand socially accepted behaviours and to accept proportionate consequences of their actions. A professional said: ‘In the past, [young person’s name] could not control her emotions but, through the fantastic support from the staff, she can manage her feelings. She is a star.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The enthusiastic manager has in-depth knowledge about the children and young people’s plans and progress since they started living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and her team provide the children and young people with consistent and well-informed care. Their knowledge and skills are continually developed though training and group discussion, including specialist consultation, where appropriate, to inform their practice. Newly appointed staff complement the team. The manager follows safer recruitment processes, and previously identified shortfalls have been addressed. The manager consults regularly with those living in, and others involved with, the home. The manager uses consultation and internal and external monitoring processes to reflect on the strengths and developments for the home. However, the manager has not provided a six-monthly review of the home to the regulator.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Not all children’s admissions to the home have been successful. This led to a period of instability for the existing children and young people, which resulted in a child’s placement ending sooner than hoped. Not all impact risk assessments for the matching of children and young people contain sufficient detail for good analysis to take place. There have been lessons learned from this, and more recent admissions have been in line with the statement of purpose. However, despite these being well planned, the manager has not assured that the home has the relevant care and placement plans from Inspection report children‟s home: SC058750 7 the placing authorities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Good relationships and communication between staff and professionals ensure that everyone is kept well informed of the children and young people’s progress or concerns. The manager advocates for the children and young people, and appropriately challenges any decisions that are not in their best interests. She promotes good outcomes and values children’s right to be heard and involved in the decisions that affect them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The children and young people live in a safe environment, and the staff try hard to make this feel like a home. The interaction between the staff, children and young people mirrors that in a family home, as they cook meals together and sit playing music, including learning the guitar. Inspection report children‟s home: SC058750 8

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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 difference 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. s 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC058750 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: North East Lincolnshire Council, Civic Offices, Knoll Street, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire DN35 8LN

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC058750 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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