Lincolnshire Secure Unit

Assurance visit report: SC042921 1 SC042921

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Information about this secure children’s home

This secure children’s home is managed by a local authority. It is approved by the Department for Education to restrict young people’s liberty. The children’s home can accommodate up to 12 children aged between 10 and 17 years. It provides for up to 11 children placed by the youth custody service and one child placed by local authorities under section 25 of the Children Act 1989.

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Information about this secure children’s home

Admission of any child under section 25 of the Children Act 1989 who is under 13 years of age requires the approval of the Secretary of State.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The commissioning of health services at this home is the statutory responsibility of NHS England under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Education is provided on site in dedicated facilities.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2008.

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Information about this secure children’s home

Previous inspection date: 4 February 2020

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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:

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Information about this visit

 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. Assurance visit report: SC042921 2 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.

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The care of children

Staff build trusting and meaningful relationships with the children. The staff frequently seek and, when appropriate, act on children’s wishes. Staff help the children to understand the COVID-19 pandemic and other significant events, such as the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.

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The care of children

Children continued to keep in touch with their families despite the restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The staff prepared the children prior to family visits so that they fully understood the additional processes required to keep themselves and their families safe. Staff supported children to increase their use of telephone calls and video calls so that they were able to keep in touch with their families when face-to-face contact was restricted due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

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The care of children

The staff have been innovative in providing stimulating activities for children. For example, they organised a ‘merged walk’ in the grounds that equalled walking from one end of the country to the other. Staff also encouraged children to learn new musical instruments. When children were required to isolate in their rooms in line with Public Health England guidance, the staff were creative in supplying safe activity boxes and quizzes and other fun activities to support the children’s well- being.

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The care of children

The children have been kept well informed about the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes making children aware of the changes that they will see on leaving the home and the adaptations that they will be required to make when they are back in their community.

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The care of children

Healthcare staff have provided good support to children and care staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare staff have trained the care staff to undertake basic health checks and continue to provide reflective practice sessions. Access to secondary health services is now improving. Healthcare staff have adopted flexible working arrangements and used virtual meetings to ensure that children continue to have access to good healthcare.

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The care of children

There continues to be strong partnership working between healthcare services and the home, resulting in a joined-up approach to the use of personal protective equipment. Healthcare staff have continued to focus on developing the service, Assurance visit report: SC042921 3 including increased health promotion work on the children’s diet and the development of the home’s sensory garden.

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The care of children

Throughout most of the COVID-19 pandemic the children have accessed a full timetable of education. When the children had to be in protective isolation, the teachers put together work packs based on the existing work that the children were undertaking. The children engage well with teachers. Teachers plan an individualised education timetable to meet the complex needs of those children who find it difficult to take part in education.

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The care of children

The curriculum focuses on improving the children’s literacy and numeracy as well as covering a range of subjects including science and humanities. There has been a keen focus on supporting the children to achieve qualifications. Teachers creatively integrate music into the children’s education timetable to secure their engagement in learning.

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The safety of children

The staff implement the home’s safeguarding policy when children raise any concerns. Detailed records clearly demonstrate that the actions taken by staff keep children safe. The manager welcomes external scrutiny, including the oversight provided by the local authority’s designated safeguarding officer. The manager is transparent in his decision making. He supports staff to reflect on their practice and to learn from any incidents.

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The safety of children

The staff respond calmly and appropriately to the children when they display some very challenging behaviour. Good multi-disciplinary information sharing enables the staff to create individually tailored care plans. These plans, alongside good-quality risk assessments, provide staff with effective strategies to de-escalate incidents. When physical intervention is required, the staff ensure that they use this appropriately to keep the children and others safe. An effective debrief with the child and the staff ensures that there is time for reflection and that there are opportunities to learn lessons.

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The safety of children

Risks to children are known to staff. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when children have needed to isolate in their rooms, the management team identified an increase in some children’s self-harm. Effective strategies are put in place to manage these behaviours. Monitoring of children at times of high risk due to self-harm is conscientious and vigilant. Checks of the children when in their rooms are carried out in line with agreed risk assessments.

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The safety of children

The use of single-separation and children being managed away from the group is scrutinised effectively. This ensures that the use of such measures is appropriate and that staff account for their actions.

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The safety of children

The staff know each child well. They use their good relationships with children to encourage good, safe behaviours. Children are supported well to develop new coping strategies. The children respond well in completing restorative justice work. Assurance visit report: SC042921 4 The staff are very aware of group dynamics and the possibility of intimidation and bullying. They manage the dynamics to ensure that children are kept safe but not unnecessarily isolated. Incidents of bullying are managed well.

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The safety of children

The location risk assessment does not sufficiently include all known risks to the children and the staff, such as nearby train stations and potential areas of concern. Therefore, not all possible action to reduce the risk to children and inform staff has been considered.

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Leaders and managers

The manager is dedicated to and passionate about his role. The manager’s close working with Public Health England ensured that COVID-19 concerns were addressed effectively. The manager’s effective planning ensures that children receive care from a stable and consistent staff team.

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Leaders and managers

The staff spoke positively about the support that they have received from the management team. Clear strategies to manage the pandemic have enabled a calm and consistent response from the staff. The manager ensured that the staff continued to receive training and supervision throughout the pandemic so that they could continue to develop their practice.

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Leaders and managers

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, no external independent visits were undertaken for two months. This did not ensure that a person independent to the home provided scrutiny and oversight. Subsequent visits were carried out remotely until it was safe to resume visits in person.

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Leaders and managers

Feedback from professionals and parents is positive. They praised the approach, communication and sensitivity of the staff.

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Leaders and managers

The manager has met the two recommendations made at the last inspection. The managers have not fully completed their planned work towards addressing the education recommendations made at the last inspection. Therefore, some recommendations are repeated.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the review includes the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. Providers should refer to the non-statutory advice about the location assessment process, ‘Children’s homes regulation amendments 2014: Advice for children’s homes providers on new duties under regulations that came into effect in January and Assurance visit report: SC042921 5 April 2014’. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  Ensure an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5) In particular, ensure that an independent person undertakes the monthly external monitoring of the home.

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Recommendations

 The ethos of the home should support each child to learn. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18) In particular, ensure that all staff accurately record the progress that children make in all aspects of their education. This means that any necessary actions can be taken quickly to ensure that all children are supported and challenged to make good progress. (This recommendation has been carried over from the inspection in February 2020.)  The ethos of the home should support each child to learn. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18) In particular, ensure that the plans already in place to introduce accredited qualifications into all subjects are implemented as soon as possible so that the children who attend school for long enough can achieve recognition for the knowledge and skills that they gain. (This recommendation has been carried over

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Recommendations

from the inspection in February 2020.)  The ethos of the home should support each child to learn. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18) In particular, provide children with impartial careers guidance to help them to prepare for their next steps in education, employment or training. (This recommendation has been carried over from the inspection in February 2020.)

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Secure children’s home details

Registered provider: Lincolnshire County Council

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Secure children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Offices, Newland, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN1 1YL

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Secure children’s home details

Registered manager: David Clarke Assurance visit report: SC042921 6

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Inspectors

Natalie Burton, Social Care Inspector Paul Taylor, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC042921 7 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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