Children's home run by Derby City Council in Derby

Inspection report children’s home: SC036243 1 SC036243 Registered provider: Derby City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority owned children’s home provides care for up to five children. The children have emotional, social and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been absent from the home for some time. There are interim management arrangements in place.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021. We last visited this setting on 18 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 10 December 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC036243 2 Inspection report children’s home: SC036243 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/10/2019 Full Inadequate 08/01/2019 Full Good 24/07/2017 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: SC036243 4

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improvement to be good

Managers have found it difficult to effectively match new children moving to the home against the skills of staff and other children already residing at the home. This is because the local authority has struggled to identify alternative placements for these children. Managers and staff have concerns over the impact of this on staff and children. A child raised their concerns to the inspector over the process by which other children are admitted to the home. This situation requires improvement to minimise the impact on children at the home.

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improvement to be good

The outcomes for some children have improved because of good joint working with partner agencies. One education professional commented, ‘I can see the improvements the staff have made for [Name of child]. The staff are proactive in seeking advice and support for the child.’ However, when some children are not in school, staff have not been persistent in motivating them to undertake any formal education. This has the potential to negatively impact on their education and prospects.

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improvement to be good

When children are planning to move to independent living, they are actively encouraged to make important decisions about their future. For example, one child viewed several independent living flats. Staff ensure that children have a positive end to their time at this home. They have leaving gifts and support from staff to settle in their new home.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make complaints. When arriving at the home, children receive a welcome booklet. This details who they can speak to if they have any concerns. Consequently, children know how to escalate their complaints if they feel their concerns are not being listened to.

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improvement to be good

Children take part in a wide variety of activities. These have included sporting and social activities. When children have a particular interest, such as boxing, managers purchase equipment to ensure that they can continue their interests at home. However, sometimes, accessing activities is hindered by not having enough staff available.

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improvement to be good

Older children who are preparing to move in to independent living, use a semi- independence flat that is situated in the home. Managers have failed to ensure that there is effective support and monitoring of this flat. This flat was unclean, untidy and there were health and safety concerns. The child has not been adequately helped or supported to maintain the flat to an acceptable standard. Inspection report children’s home: SC036243 5 Managers have not ensured that prospective new staff have been thoroughly vetted prior to taking up their posts in the home. Safer recruitment checks have not been sufficiently robust. This has the potential to render children vulnerable.

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improvement to be good

At times, staff use physical intervention to prevent children from harming themselves or others. Following such incidents, children are not always provided with the opportunity to discuss these incidents in detail. This means opportunities are missed to obtain the children’s views and to review if there were alternative approaches to managing more challenging behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Procedures for the administering of medication to children is safe. Staff are trained to administer medication and record this in a detailed manner. Some children who are assessed as being able to administer their own medication are encouraged to do so, with staff oversight. This helps to develop the confidence and ability of children to manage their own medicines safely.

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good

The current acting manager is suitably qualified, but not yet registered with Ofsted. The manager is supported by a deputy manager. Jointly, they manage a diverse staff team. However, staff shortages mean that staff are undertaking additional shifts to provide children with continuity of care. Staff report to feeling tired and fatigued. This has the potential to impact on their care practice.

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good

The monitoring and oversight of the children’s home by managers is not yet effective. Some areas of the home appear tired and lack cleanliness. This detracts from what could otherwise be a pleasant environment for children. Additionally, children have accessed films and games that are not age appropriate.

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good

The quality of staff supervision is variable. Although staff have received supervision, there are some gaps in frequency. In some supervision meetings, the safeguarding needs of children are not discussed in detail. Some supervision records are copied into the following month. Managers have failed to effectively monitor children’s progress and their staff’s performance through the supervision process.

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good

Staff attend a wide variety of training courses. However, not all staff have had safeguarding training within the last three years. This includes two temporary staff members at the home. The manager has also not yet attended the required physical intervention training. This hampers the manager in being able to oversee and guide staff with managing children’s behaviour. Managers have not ensured that when children are accommodated with specific care needs, staff have received further training to enable them to fully meet these children’s needs.

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good

Managers ensure that staff team meetings are regular. This is an opportunity for staff to discuss the children’s progress in detail and share information. Inspection report children’s home: SC036243 6 One requirement from the last inspection has not been met. A further three statutory requirements have been set at this inspection, together with four recommendations, in response to the identified shortfalls. Inspection report children’s home: SC036243 7

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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 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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to health and safety hazards in the independence flat. 22 November

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that there is a robust supervision process for all staff and that oversight of the children’s home in relation to quality assurance is maintained. 22 November Inspection report children’s home: SC036243 8 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to a lack of information about staff recruitment. 22 November

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff 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 the placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risk on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff are supported to be ambitious for every child in the home and to gain skills and experience that enable them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5) Inspection report children’s home: SC036243 9  The registered person must ensure that the home works in partnership with relevant people as appropriate to ensure that each child is provided with support (appropriate to their age and understanding) to communicate their views, wishes and feelings and participate as fully as possible in all aspects of their care planning and daily care. (‘Guide to the children s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.6)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that when children are placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded, or not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enable to resume fulltime education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC036243 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Derby City Council, Treasurers Department, Council House, Corporation Street, DERBY DE1 2FE

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Inspectors

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Pradip Panchmatia, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC036243 11 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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