Children's Home run by Grace Care Limited in Nottingham

Assurance visit report: SC436818 1 SC436818

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to three children with learning disabilities, including those with autism spectrum disorder. The home provides care for children who require medium- to long-term settled care.

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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. 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: SC436818 2

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The care of children

Children are happy and content. They have positive relationships with staff. The home has a warm and homely atmosphere and the staff are kind and nurturing.

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The care of children

Some children have differing methods of communication, such as using pictorial symbols and electronic aids. Staff communicate well with the children. They invest a lot of time in making sure that they understand each child’s sensory processing ability. Children’s anxiety levels have reduced significantly since living at the home because they are so well supported with their communication.

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The care of children

Children make good progress. Some children have significantly fewer behavioural incidents than they did before coming to the home. One child has progressed so much physically that he is now able to walk unaided, and he is not reliant on his wheelchair. This is potentially life changing for the child. One parent commented positively on the progress their child has made with their independence skills.

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The safety of children

Two medication administration errors have occurred, one day after another. These errors could have seriously affected children’s health and welfare. Leaders are fully aware of these shortfalls. They have already implemented immediate, initial improvements to the medication policy and procedure. However, further improvement is needed to make sure that the risk of medication errors is reduced.

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The safety of children

Risk assessments work well and minimise risk. Staff understand their responsibilities in reducing risk to children, but they are not risk adverse. Children still access the community and lead a full life, despite having complex disabilities.

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The safety of children

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. They keep the children safe and protected.

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The safety of children

There are very few occasions when physical intervention is required. Restraint records did not show the full extent of the intervention used. Leaders are aware of this and addressed this shortfall during the visit.

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Leaders and managers

Personnel and wider organisational issues have caused some tensions between key leaders. These issues have not affected the quality of care provided to children. However, there is the potential for this to happen. The responsible individual remains extremely focused on the children and is working hard to make sure that the stability of the home is not affected.

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Leaders and managers

Staff are very positive about their managers. They receive regular individual supervisory meetings with their manager, where they discuss the children and their practice. Assurance visit report: SC436818 3 Staff clearly enjoy their work and are motivated by the progress that children make. Managers and staff create a happy home for the children.

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Leaders and managers

Previous requirements about physical intervention records and safer-recruitment procedures are now met.

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Leaders and managers

Two of the four previous recommendations are met as improvements have been made to sanctions and staff supervisions.

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Leaders and managers

The previous recommendation about the quality of records is carried forward because it was not fully inspected during this visit.

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Leaders and managers

One recommendation is not yet fully met. This is in relation to the facilities for staff when they do sleep-in shifts. There is a new annex room at the back of the house where staff sleep. However, there are no toilet facilities available yet. The plans for this annex are not fully completed so the recommendation is carried over to the next visit.

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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 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

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child.

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Requirement Due date

Paragraph (2) does not apply to medicine which— 24 December Assurance visit report: SC436818 4 is stored by the child for whom it is provided in such a way that other persons are prevented from using it; and

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Requirement Due date

may be safely self-administered by that child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to amending procedures after medication errors occur.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. This relates to the streamlining of records to reduce duplication and make them more accessible. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)  The registered person should ensure that the design of the home provides staff who sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.26)

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 27 Meadow Close, Nottingham NG2 3HZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Beverley Russell

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Inspector

Caroline Brailsford, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC436818 5 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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