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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to two children or young people who display behavioural difficulties.

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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: 1183136 2

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The care of children

This home is registered to provide care and support for up to two children or young people. However, it currently specialises in meeting the needs of young people who need solo placements.

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The care of children

Staff have provided nurturing care to a child in need of a long-term solo placement. The care provided enabled him to thrive. He has now made a successful transition to his new home.

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The care of children

The home’s current resident has moved in recently. Appropriate plans are in place to ensure that there is education and therapeutic support during her placement. However, because she is living a long way from her home community and may be isolated, an independent advocate is needed as a matter of urgency.

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The care of children

The staff team is culturally and socially diverse. They are skilled at addressing needs arising from young people’s culture, heritage and personal identity. This promotes their self-confidence and self-esteem.

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The safety of children

Safeguarding practice is sound. However, several changes are required to ensure individualised safe care for the young person currently accommodated.

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The safety of children

Behaviour management policies and practice have not been adapted to meet the needs of the current resident. Behaviour management strategies are not clear enough. They lack explicit guidance for staff about how to safely manage behaviours when risks escalate.

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The safety of children

Physical interventions are rarely used in this home. However, the provider has not ensured that approved restraint techniques are suitable to the needs of the young person currently accommodated in the home.

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The safety of children

Staff work with mental health teams and clinicians effectively. This supports them to understand young people’s needs and risks. However, staff have not been provided with sufficient training to manage self-harm and suicidal ideation. This is necessary to ensure that the staff team is suitably skilled.

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The safety of children

Risk assessments require greater detail. This is to ensure that staff have clear strategies to prevent and/or respond to situations when young people might be at risk.

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The safety of children

The home has a locality risk assessment in place. However, it does not reflect the views of relevant agencies. Assurance visit report: 1183136 3

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager is experienced and well qualified. She is supported by a knowledgeable and skilled assistant manager.

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Leaders and managers

The staff team is resilient. They demonstrate a commitment to work positively with all children and young people, despite some complex behaviours. The management team wants all children and young people to achieve their potential. Staff said that managers have been supportive of their needs through these challenging times.

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Leaders and managers

Partnership arrangements with social care professionals are positive. Managers advocate on behalf of children and young people appropriately when they feel that they are not receiving the best possible service from other agencies.

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Leaders and managers

An independent person undertakes monthly monitoring visits to the home. These visits support the manager to promote improvement.

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Leaders and managers

The recommendation to ensure that there is a workforce development plan has not been met. This means that staff training, qualifications and progression are still not clearly set out.

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Leaders and managers

The provider has not ensured that all staff are enrolled on, or working towards, the relevant qualification for residential childcare. This does not ensure a suitably qualified workforce.

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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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. 29 January 2021 Assurance visit report: 1183136 4 The relevant date is—in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or works, or

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Requirement Due date

has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to all staff in a care role, including external agency or bank staff, and the need to have the qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant timescale listed in regulation 32(5).

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to self-harm, suicide and ligature training. 29 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should detail the necessary management and staffing structure, the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core Assurance visit report: 1183136 5 training (such as safeguarding and health and safety and mandatory qualifications). The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home's manager. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

 All children must have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible this should be provided by a person that the child chooses. Looked-after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 23, paragraph 4.16)

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 The behaviour management policy should set out how staff are trained and supported to meet the child's needs. Regulations 13(2)(d)(e) require children's homes to employ a sufficient number of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced persons in the home to effectively manage children's behaviours. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 46, paragraph 9.37)

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all their staff have been adequately trained in the principles of restraint and any restraint techniques appropriate to the needs of the children accommodated in the home. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 49, paragraph 9.57)

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Nottinghamshire YMCA

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: YMCA, 4 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG1 4FG

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Children's home details

Registered manager: Francesca Baggan Assurance visit report: 1183136 6

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Inspector

Amanda Ellis, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 1183136 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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