Children's Home run by Nottinghamshire County Council in Nottinghamshire

Assurance visit report: SC036726 1 SC036726

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home, providing care for up to 12 children with sensory impairment, learning disabilities, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or physical disabilities. There are currently eight children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Visit dates: 30 September to 1 October 2020

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 1 October 2019

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: improved effectiveness

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:  children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: SC036726 2

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The care of children

Children are receiving good-quality care and they settle well in this home. One child, who has recently moved in, refers to living in the home as his ‘big adventure’.

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The care of children

Children present as happy and excited to see staff on their return from school. Staff use humour and positive encouragement strategies to ensure that hygiene routines are completed smoothly and in a caring manner.

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The care of children

All the children have benefited from good education arrangements during the COVID-19 period when they were unable to attend their schools. There is purposeful communication between each child’s education setting, the home and social workers. This ensures that children’s education needs are identified and reviewed. Children, who have recently returned to school, benefit from good morning and evening routines. This supports good attendance and progress.

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The care of children

Staff are skilled at using information about children’s personalities, preferences and methods of communication to develop effective care plans. Managers and staff seek information from a range of sources to ensure that they understand children’s needs before they move into the home. Good care planning means that children make progress. For example, one child is healthier as a result of a more balanced diet, better exercise and effective health screening.

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The care of children

Children have clear arrangements in place to support them to maintain relationships with family. Staff have supported the development and implementation of children’s plans, including shared care arrangements with parents. Staff have also supported children to move on from the home in a planned way. They have helped to reduce children’s anxieties about change by ensuring that there are opportunities for children to familiarise themselves with new carers and new environments.

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The care of children

This visit identified some shortfalls in the recording and administering of medication. In addition, there was one occasion when a child’s medication was not available to them during their journey to school. These shortfalls have not had an impact on children’s health, but medication systems are not yet robust enough to ensure consistently good practice.

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The safety of children

Information about children’s behaviours and vulnerabilities is shared effectively between families, professionals and care staff. This promotes the safety of children and reduces risk.

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The safety of children

Staff provide consistent routines and clear boundaries. This helps children learn how to regulate their own emotions and behaviours. The relatively low level of physical interventions demonstrates that staff are using distraction techniques effectively. Assurance visit report: SC036726 3 Although incidents and safeguarding issues have generally been managed appropriately, opportunities to learn lessons and improve practice have not always been taken quickly enough. Managers are currently revisiting two incidents so that they can identify and address any training and development needs of the staff involved. Management monitoring and review systems are not yet strong enough to consistently recognise opportunities to improve safeguarding systems.

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Leaders and managers

Managers and staff have responded well to the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions. Staff have worked flexibly to ensure safe staffing levels.

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Leaders and managers

Since the last inspection, there have been a number of changes to the staff, management and senior leadership team of the home. These changes have had an impact on staff morale. Some staff are responding to change better than others. The management team recognises that continued consultation and engagement is essential to achieving a cohesive staff team.

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Leaders and managers

There is now a more robust and committed management team in place to support the registered manager. The management team is aware of the areas of practice that need strengthening and has plans in place to improve the home.

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Leaders and managers

The quality of record-keeping and the management oversight of records is not consistently good. Some assessments have not been updated with new, relevant information. Some essential plans are not dated.

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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

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 09/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC036726 4 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)) 09/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)) 09/11/2020

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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. 09/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC036726 5 In particular the registered person must ensure that— medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child and a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nottinghamshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Nottinghamshire County Council, County Hall, Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7QP

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Inspectors

Cathey Moriarty, Social Care Inspector Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC036726 6 to 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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