Children's home run by Nottingham City Council in Nottingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC427165 1 SC427165 Registered provider: Nottingham City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is managed by a local authority. It is registered to provide settled, long-term care and accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2019

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC427165 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2019 Full Outstanding 20/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/06/2017 Full Good 08/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC427165 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

This home provides high-quality care to young people in need of stability and nurture. Young people often come to the home worried and anxious after periods of instability, trauma and family breakdown. One young person told the inspector that although this is a worrying time for them, staff do all they can to help them. Another young person was so happy with his recent move to the home that he said: ‘It feels like I have not moved.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people learn a lot from this inspirational, dedicated staff group. They receive and accept staff guidance and support. Young people are immensely trusting of staff and see them as role models. They speak about staff as parent figures. Young people experience stability and compassion at a time when they really need it. One staff member reflected on his work and said: ‘It’s not a house. It’s a home. We are privileged to be able to share their memories and we teach them the way.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people experience exceptionally high-quality care and nurture. Staff are committed to making sure that they know what it is to be loved and cherished. Photographs and observations of activity in the home demonstrate the positive relationships between staff and young people. These relationships form the basis for young people’s excellent progress. There is a family-like atmosphere and young people genuinely enjoy their time with staff. The home is a lively, humorous and happy place to be. This atmosphere is very well suited to the young people. They know from the beginning that this can be a home for the rest of their childhood if they choose.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

There are excellent examples of young people developing the skills they need to manage difficult issues in their lives. For example, one young person has learned about the impact of their behaviour on others. Staff never shy away from an opportunity for a young person to learn. Young people quickly move from a position of non-engagement to changing their behaviour towards others in a relatively short space of time. They become less angry and more able to cope with their situation. They also attend and make progress in their education. For some, this is excellent progress from their starting points.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people who have left the home since the last inspection have only done so as part of their transition plan. Young people, who professionals did not expect to be able to manage on their own, have gone on to be successful and independent. Young people do not lose touch with staff. They visit them and telephone them for support regularly. There are strong and lasting bonds which young people will not forget.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home’s documentation is developing all of the time. Young people contribute to their plans and feel involved in each aspect of their care. This is central to being able to look back at their time at the home and the records reflecting how much staff cared about them. Staff think incredibly highly of each young person and young people soon learn to feel special. The excellent quality of care that young people receive in this home is worthy of sharing with others. Inspection report children’s home: SC427165 4

p.3

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

Young people are always as safe as they can be in the care of the staff. Their risk-taking behaviours reduce because staff use creative interventions. Staff carefully analyse each young person’s behaviour and their approach is tailored accordingly on a daily and sometimes hourly basis.

p.4

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

Consistency towards young people is achieved through highly effective communication within the staff group. Young people know where they stand and what to expect. Staff understand the reasons for the behaviour they see because of their extensive training. They never risk shaming a young person for what they have done. Whatever the behaviour, there is always a positive. Negotiation, compromise and incentives work well. Young people always have something to aim for. Their behaviour significantly improves from their starting points. Many young people come to the home with very high-risk behaviours. However, they become able to manage risk exceptionally well. This progress is life changing for some young people. One social worker talked about a young person and said: ‘The staff have turned his life around.’

p.4

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

Relationships with the police are excellent. The highly innovative, restorative approach ensures that young people are never criminalised unless this is unavoidable. Leaders, staff, young people and the police all work together. Young people view the police as positive role models. Relationships are built through everyone spending relaxed time together. There is a real sense of community between all. Young people, staff and police officers even work out together at a local boxing club. Young people develop their understanding of risk without feeling pressure. This makes a tremendously positive difference to their risk-taking behaviour.

p.4

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

Young people may go missing at the start of their placement because this is a pattern of their behaviour. They soon reduce this behaviour, and episodes of going missing become few and far between. This is because young people enjoy being at the home and feel a sense of belonging. If any risk does develop, the manager carefully considers patterns and trends, risk assessments are updated and data is sent to the police as a protective measure.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Young people have a very strong voice in the home. The manager makes sure that they feel as much control in their lives as possible. Young people learn that they should have their say. They are encouraged to make complaints and learn from the manager’s professional assertiveness.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and her deputy manager do not accept anything less than outstanding practice for the young people in their care. This is both the case in and out of the home. For example, if school staff do not encourage young people enough, the manager points this out. She looks out for young people and stands up for them as if they were her own. Staff also have this approach and expect themselves and each other to highly perform. Inspection report children’s home: SC427165 5 They are immensely enthusiastic, driven and passionate about making a difference to young people. Staff are also extremely well supported and inspired by each other and their managers. No idea is too big, and the home is going from strength to strength.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team members are gifted and talented in their work with young people. They are also extremely well trained and well supported. There is little movement and any new staff only bring freshness to an already motivated team. Diversity within the team facilitates high-quality, professional discussion before important decisions about young people are reached.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

New initiatives since the last inspection include research into emotional well-being, with particular reference to how young people who are looked after can be affected. There has also been a focus on addiction in relation to gaming and to the internet. The research this year has clearly impacted very positively on young people’s progress. The manager uses research all of the time to make sure that she keeps up with new initiatives that might help young people to progress further.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Three recommendations from the last inspection are met. Improvements have been made in relation to restraint records and making sure that young people receive an independent return interview after they have been missing from the home.

p.5

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.

p.5

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: SC427165 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Nottingham City Council, Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham NG2 3NG

p.6

Inspector

Caroline Brailsford: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC427165 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.

p.6

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.7

Inspector

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

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7