Children's home run by Derbyshire County Council in Derbyshire Dales

Inspection report for children's home: SC439882 1 SC439882 Registered provider: Derbyshire County Council Full inspection 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 six children with physical disabilities and learning difficulties. The home provides long-term care and short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced and registered manager.

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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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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 18 September 2019

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC439882 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/09/2019 Full Good 10/10/2018 Full Outstanding 21/11/2017 Full Outstanding 27/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC439882 3

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outstanding

Children make exceptional progress. The staff are highly dedicated, and they provide excellent care that promotes exemplary outcomes for all children. A staff member said: ‘We are very good at putting children first. Their needs and views are what is important to us. We are good advocates, and we care a lot about the children.’

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outstanding

There is excellent communication with external agencies, and arrangements for working together are highly effective. This benefits children. External professionals and parents alike believe the outcomes for children are exceptional. A local authority team manager said, ‘The service makes an amazing difference to the children and their families. Children have progressed in leaps and bounds, and some children have been supported to remain living with their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. This would not have been possible without the care and support of the short-breaks service.’

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outstanding

The consistency and stability of the staff team have been a real strength. The team has experienced considerable challenge in the last two years throughout the COVID- 19 pandemic. The staff have risen to the challenge. They have remained focused on the welfare of the children in their care.

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outstanding

Children receive the support they need to actively engage in activities both inside and outside the home. These activities enrich children’s experiences and serve to strengthen their relationships with staff. Additionally, this helps children to make developmental progress and promotes positive self-esteem. For example, one child has been supported to access a music studio and record a piece of music. The pride for this child, in his achievement, was immense.

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outstanding

Staff are highly creative and flexible in the way they work with children. Staff use, to good effect, several theoretical approaches in their day-to-day care of children. This is combined with well-established and strong relationships with children, which means that the staff have an in-depth understanding of children’s needs. The staff work well with external professionals, particularly those specialising in children’s mental health. The staff use this expertise to review approaches to managing children’s behaviour and providing the right consistent messages to children to help them feel safe. The children are respected and valued by staff. Their views are considered, and staff are strong advocates for children to ensure they receive the services and help they need to make progress.

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outstanding

The staff quickly identify and respond to children’s emerging health needs in a timely manner. As a result, risks have reduced in relation to children’s health and well-being. Inspection report for children's home: SC439882 4 Children are very well supported in meeting the people who matter to them. These meetings are carefully assessed and constantly reviewed during the COVID-19 pandemic. For some children, the quality of the time spent with their families has improved. Parents spoken to were very complimentary over the support provided by staff to enable them to continue seeing their children.

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outstanding

Children are engaged in education on a full-time basis. Children’s attendance is always excellent. The staff and managers work very closely with education colleagues. Because of this, staff and managers understand the areas to work on, strengthen and give children the support they need to make excellent progress.

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outstanding

The home is very comfortable, safe and designed with each child in mind. The rooms are changed following each short break and reflect the child’s tastes, likes and needs. Children and their families are consulted with about the decor and design of bedrooms. This helps parents to feel involved in the care of their children.

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outstanding

The Staff and managers have exercised diligence and caution in following the COVID-19 guidelines and safe care practices. Attention to detail in managing potential cross infection is admirable. The staff and managers understand the added vulnerability of many of the children they care for. They have been exemplary in their safeguarding of such vulnerable children.

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outstanding

Staff have an excellent understanding of safeguarding processes and understand their duties in keeping children safe. If any concerns are raised, these are managed well, and the appropriate referrals are made to outside agencies. When incidents occur, these are also managed very well, with robust management oversight. There is close monitoring of patterns and changes in children’s behaviours, and approaches to children’s care are altered to reflect these changing needs. There are excellent multi-agency approaches to managing behaviour and following any incident, and there is very good support to children and staff alike.

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outstanding

Staff work tirelessly to ensure that children are safe. Risk assessments and behaviour support plans for children are highly detailed. Staff use these plans together with their in-depth understanding of children to help them become safer. Consequently, concerning and worrying behaviour displayed by children has decreased. Each plan for a child is reviewed regularly by the team and updated. Likewise approaches to care change constantly, and this helps safeguard each child from any harm.

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outstanding

The staff use physical intervention as a last resort to keep everyone safe. Staff adhere to the child’s safety plan and try to prevent incidents taking place through de-escalating situations. When physical interventions do take place, children are offered debriefs afterwards to discuss any support they may need following incidents, trying to understand the reasons for the behaviour to prevent reoccurrence. Inspection report for children's home: SC439882 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is an exceptionally strong and experienced manager. She has utilised her knowledge, skills and experience to promote positive outcomes for children. She leads a strong and dedicated staff team. She constantly reflects on the strengths and areas for further development in her service. She is constantly striving to achieve more for children and the staff and, as a result, she is a highly valued manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

When the staff experience challenging times, they are highly resilient. The management team recognises the importance of staff support. Further support mechanisms have been put in place to support and care for staff during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Managers listen to staff and make sure that communication across the team ensures all staff can raise any issues, in the knowledge they will be taken seriously.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers, at times, make difficult decisions that are in the best interests of all children in their care. They do this after exploring all possible avenues of support to children and the staff. Children have long-standing relationships with people who are dear to them. Despite a high proportion of staff working part-time hours, they have increased their hours during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that children receive the best quality of care possible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have completed crucial training on key issues. On occasion, they have required creativity and ingenuity to make this training happen. For example, essential first-aid refresher courses were arranged in a village hall to meet the COVID-19 space and ratio requirements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have explored the language that is used in day-to-day care practice and within reports. Key documents are recorded in a child-friendly manner and directed to children. There is positive way to record key events and summaries of stays for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff are exceptionally strong advocates for all children in their care. The staff have sought the best possible outcomes for children at what has been a critical time. A parent said, ‘Staff know my child very well, and they are passionate about the care of all the children.’ This is testament to the care provided to children by staff and managers at this home. Inspection report for children's home: SC439882 6

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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: SC439882 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Derbyshire County Council, County Offices, Matlock DE4 3AG

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Inspector

Bev Allison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC439882 8 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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