Children's Home run by Doncaster Children‟s Services Trust Limited in Doncaster

Inspection report children’s home: 1258627 1 Registered provider: Doncaster Children’s Services Trust Limited

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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 children’s trust operate this home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children and young people. The manager has been registered since July 2017.

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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: 13 November 2018

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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: 1258627 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/11/2018 Full Good 29/01/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1258627 3

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, the blinds that are fitted to windows in the home should have their cords secured to prevent them from being a ligature risk.  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must

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Recommendations

always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, risk assessments and incident reports should be accurate and kept up to date. Both documents should evidence the action that the staff take to reduce risks, in order to keep the children and young people safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The stability within the home provides the children and young people with a sense of security. The children and young people have fantastic relationships with the staff and they can identify how the staff have improved their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people benefit from bespoke education packages. The staff work with the children, young people and their schools to maintain their attendance and remove any barriers to their learning. The children and young people identify that they have future aspirations, and these are recognised and encouraged by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people’s lives are being enriched through their participation in hobbies and interests. They have opportunities to try a range of activities and gain new experiences, including going on a holiday abroad. This holiday provided the children and young people with some lovely memories together, and for some of the children and young people it was their first time on an aeroplane.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people’s families and friends regularly visit the home. When it is not possible or appropriate for families to visit the home, alternative arrangements are facilitated by the staff. The children and young people enjoy their time with their friends and families. The staff, who have a good understanding of the underlying complexities in Inspection report children’s home: 1258627 4 these relationships, support the children, young people and their families to manage and strengthen their relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people are encouraged to make healthy lifestyle choices and advised of the dangers relating to the misuse of alcohol and drugs. On occasions when the children and young people return under the influence of substances, the staff follow clear procedures in response to this risk. One child said: ‘I used to take a lot of drugs, but the staff have helped me through this, without them I would be dead.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people like their home. It is well decorated and personalised throughout, with photographs of the children and young people. The fixtures and furniture are of a high standard. However, blinds fitted to the window require the cords to be secured; this is to prevent associated ligature risk.

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

From their starting points, the children and young people’s risks have significantly reduced. The children and young people trust the staff, and this means that they can talk to the staff about their problems for guidance. When incidents occur, the staff confidently respond and the children and young people are helped to learn from their mistakes and repair relationships.

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

When the children and young people are away from the home, the staff routinely complete safe and well telephone calls. There has been a reduction in the frequency and severity of missing-from-home incidents. When the children and young people go missing, the staff respond in line with the child or young person’s plan. However, the immediacy of the staff’s actions is only clear from talking to them and not through their written records, which do not always provide a clear account of their actions. This does not impact on children’s immediate safety but can compromise the evaluation of risk over time.

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

The children and young people are respectful of the routines and boundaries within the home. When incidents occur, the staff understand the measures to use to defuse the situation. However, occasionally physical interventions are used to ensure the safety of the children, young people and others. Lessons can be learned from these incidents, as debriefs are now being completed with those involved in the intervention, including the child or young person.

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

The staff have a good understanding of the risks posed to the children and young people. The detailed risk assessments that were completed in preparation for the children and young people’s holiday abroad helped to keep them safe. However, when the children and young people’s risk assessments are reviewed, the documents do not evidence any decision-making to support the changes. Inspection report children’s home: 1258627 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager, together with her team, provides the children and young people with continuous encouragement. The nurturing care given to the children and young people is helping them to overcome adversity from their past experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager values her team and supports them to develop their knowledge and experience. The manager has implemented action plans and allocated study time to enable her staff to complete their necessary qualifications. The team feels valued and supported, and therefore staff turnover is low, creating stability for the children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff implement learning from their training and this improves the experiences of the children and young people. When children and young people refuse to engage with mental health services, the staff regularly use the support and guidance from specialist services to ensure that their care responses are effective and in accordance with children and young people’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the strengths and areas of development for the home. Internal and external monitoring systems enable the manager to identify shortfalls in practice, leading to solutions and learning opportunities for her staff. The manager takes immediate action in response to concerns about staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals and families are kept informed about the progress that their children and young people are making. All agencies work together to provide the children and young people with a consistent response. When individuals or agencies are not meeting their expected responsibilities, the manager will challenge to ensure that the needs of the children and young people are prioritised.

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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

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: 1258627 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Doncaster Children’s Services Trust Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Colonnades House, Duke Street, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN1 1ER

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1258627 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 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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