Children's Home run by Nottinghamshire County Council in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC036726 1 SC036726

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Nottinghamshire County Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home provides care for up to 12 children with sensory impairment, learning disabilities, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or physical disabilities. There are currently four children living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place because Ofsted has been made aware of concerns about the management of the home, the quality of care provided to children and staff conduct.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector was aware during this visit that child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the visit to inform the inspector’s judgements.

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This monitoring visit

Poor practice had developed among the staff team. This had gone unnoticed or unchallenged by the management team.

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This monitoring visit

Medication systems are poor. There have been errors in the administration, storage and recording of children’s medication. In some cases, these errors had potentially very serious consequences. For example, weaknesses in practice resulted in a child who has regular seizures not having access to emergency seizure medication when on an outing.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have not referred unexplained marks and bruises to appropriate professionals in line with the home’s safeguarding procedures. As a result, opportunities to investigate potential safeguarding concerns have been missed. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC036726 2 Children’s behaviour has not always been managed appropriately by staff. Children who have complex disabilities, and who are very vulnerable, have not always been treated with kindness and respect. In addition, poor decision-making by staff when managing the behaviour of children has resulted in children being placed at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Recent safeguarding incidents have not been referred to Ofsted as they should have been. This has limited the ability of Ofsted to carry out its regulatory functions.

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This monitoring visit

Senior managers within the organisation have identified the shortfalls themselves during a detailed audit of the home’s operation. Once the shortfalls were known to them, they made sure that safeguarding procedures were followed. They have implemented an urgent improvement plan. Although examples of poor practice are still apparent, managers are now recognising and responding to these issues.

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This monitoring visit

Senior managers have put together a new management team in the home. They have also reduced the number of children living in the home from eight to four. These actions address immediate safety concerns.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders are making appropriate decisions. Some members of staff whose practice is under review are no longer working directly with children. Others are working under the close supervision of the new management team. Staffing shortages are further exacerbated by the fact that several staff are self-isolating in accordance with COVID-19 (coronavirus) guidelines. The staffing situation is unstable. This impacts of the consistency of care provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

Some agency staff have not received enough induction or specific training to provide high-quality care to children with such complex needs.

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This monitoring visit

Requirements made at the assurance visit on 30 September have not been fully assessed during this visit. These are carried forward to be reviewed at the next visit.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 01/10/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/01/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC036726 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

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

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the need for the manager to scrutinise significant events to check that staff members are keeping children safe. 1 December 2020

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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

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to making sure the members of the staff team work cohesively together to protect children and to promote a positive safeguarding culture. 1 December 2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC036726 4 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

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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 have the experience qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to agency staff who have not received sufficient induction or training. 1 December 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—

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the appropriate escalation of concerns about children’s welfare when they are identified. 1 December 2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC036726 5 The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to recent medication errors and the need to make sure that children have access to any rescue medicines that they might require. 1 December 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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to recent events concerning children’s safety which Ofsted has not been made aware of. 1 December 2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC036726 6

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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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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Inspector

Caroline Brailsford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC036726 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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