Children's home run by Shyne Together Limited in Rushcliffe

Inspection report for children’s home: SC441865 1 SC441865 Registered provider: Shyne Together Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home that can provide care for up to three children. It is described by the provider as a therapeutic home for children who have emotional and mental health needs due to early trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is currently vacant.

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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.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 28 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC441865 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/10/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 03/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC441865 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at this home are happy and settled. Children benefit from staff showing a real sense of emotional warmth and understanding. Children build positive relationships with staff. They make steady progress because of the therapeutic approach used in delivering their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at the home. They have fun with the staff and can also talk to them about their worries. Children can express themselves with regard to gender and sexuality. Children feel able to express their individuality and they take pride in their successes. Staff are confident in meeting children’s very complex needs. This contributes to the stability of the children’s placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to have positive education experiences that build on their talents and reflect their goals. Children are motivated and have good school attendance. Staff ensure that education providers understand the children’s health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well considered and met by staff. Staff work closely with a variety of health services. Staff understand the complexities of each individual child. There is a strong therapeutic approach. This helps to maintain children’s health and emotional well-being. One social worker said: ‘This children’s home has all the ingredients that we need for this child.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are given opportunities to try new things. For example, one child has learned how to swim since being at the home. These opportunities, and the encouragement provided by staff, mean that children have positive experiences and make progress. Children join in a range of activities and groups that encourage friendships and social development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is little evidence of children’s comments, views and wishes influencing how their care is delivered or the development of the home. Children are provided with opportunities to read their files. Their risk assessments and care plans are shared with them, but this is not always documented. Children are not given advice about how to access their childcare records in later life. The opportunity to contribute to plans and assessments may help children to understand their care experience better.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children are kept safe and they feel safe. The manager and staff understand the risks and vulnerabilities of the children well. Staff support children to take age- appropriate, well-managed risks. Risk assessments are thorough and contain pertinent information which helps staff to take effective action to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC441865 4 Managers and staff have clear plans in place for the children. These are developed with the company’s clinical specialist and other healthcare professionals. When there is an incident of concern, they reflect on the plans and risks. Plans are then updated with clear strategies for staff to follow. This reduces risks and improves the children’s safety and welfare.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children have trusting relationships with the manager and staff. They know that they are cared for. The staff’s therapeutic approach is effective in supporting children with their feelings. Because of this, children feel safe and secure.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children rarely go missing from the home. Where this happens, the manager and staff work well with safeguarding agencies to ensure that the children return safely. These effective systems protect children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Discussions about safeguarding are part of the staff team meetings and staff supervision. Staff are provided with safeguarding training. The team also values discussions with healthcare professionals. This provides staff with the opportunity to share concerns and develop their practice. This enhances the quality and effectiveness of the care.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Recruitment is managed well. The principles of safe recruitment practice are followed. Where one concern was raised about a member of staff, this was followed up thoroughly and dealt with effectively. Children are supported and protected.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has been without a registered manager since June 2021. A new manager is in place and has submitted their application to register, but this manager is temporarily away from work. Interim management arrangements have been good.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous manager, while having a new position in the organisation, is currently overseeing the home. Her passion and drive have been instrumental in the improvements following the last inspection. The manager has recruited a diverse team which enriches the quality of care. This manager will continue to embed the ethos of the home with the deputy manager until the new manager returns to work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with regular mandatory training. They also receive bespoke training, based on the specific needs of the children they care for. Staff benefit from advice and guidance from specialist healthcare agencies. Staff say that their confidence and practice have improved because of this. Training is focused and effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some effective management systems are in place. However, internal quality assurance practice does not have management oversight in some areas. This includes oversight of records and evidencing children’s comments and/or feedback on the care they receive. Inspection report for children’s home: SC441865 5 Staff are well supported by managers in their day-to-day practice. Managers are visible and approachable; this has helped to create a stable team. Staff receive regular formal supervision, including yearly appraisals. However, where opportunities for staff to improve on their practice are identified, these are not always clearly recorded in supervision records. New staff are subject to a six-month probationary period, with a review at three months. Plans for new staff are regularly reviewed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place and have a focus. In addition, staff are given ‘essential reading’. Some subjects are presented in staff meetings by the leaders as part of ongoing learning and development. Managers recognise the emotional impact of the work on staff and manage this well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has creative plans for the interior and exterior fabric of the building. The home is currently in need of decoration in some areas and the garden could be better used. Updating the garden could promote this as a positive, safe space for the children to enjoy.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff encourage children to see the home’s records as a living document, supporting them to comment, view and contribute to their progress and development of the home’s records on a regular basis. This specifically relates to documents involving the children, to write comments, views and wishes on and put their name/date on forms. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.13)  The registered person should ensure that children actively read their records and add further information to them, are reminded of their rights to see information kept about them and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)  The registered person should ensure good practice regarding staff supervision.

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Recommendations

In particular, a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions should be kept. This is in relation to actions/outcomes in the supervision record being completed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)  The registered person should ensure that all staff appraisals consider, where reasonable and practicable, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year. Staff should also have appraisals that are reviewed within the year. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of its children. It should provide a homely, domestic environment. This is especially in relation to the interior decoration and Inspection report for children’s home: SC441865 6

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Recommendations

the gardens. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: SC441865 7

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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 for children’s home: SC441865 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Shyne Together Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Chancel House, East Street, Bingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG13 8DS

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Inspector

Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC441865 9 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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