Children's Home run by YMCA Robin Hood Group in East Riding of Yorkshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2624063 1 Registered provider: YMCA Robin Hood Group Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a charity. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 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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Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection since the home was registered in April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since 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: not applicable.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2624063 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2624063 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and well cared for in their new home. They benefit from receiving support from a caring staff team whose members are committed to helping them settle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well with other agencies and the children to ensure a smooth move into the home. Children are supported by staff to understand the children’s guide. Staff explain how the home operates, informing them of expectations and the support they can access. Children receive a welcome gift on their arrival. This helps to reduce anxiety in the child that might have arisen as a result of their situation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create a nurturing environment in the home. They encourage children to enjoy meals together. They ensure that children have opportunities to play and access activities both at home and in the community. Children gain a sense of achievement as they actively try new things, such as swimming, pampering sessions, sewing or dancing sessions with staff. This enables the children to develop self-confidence and build positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress across most aspects of their emotional, social, behavioural, and educational development. Most of the children in the home have experienced a disruption in schooling prior to moving into the home. Staff have welcomed tutors who come to the home on a regular basis to support the children to move back into formal education. One educational professional said, ‘Staff value the role of education.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of family relationships. Staff promote family time for the children in line with the care plans. Adherence to the care plans ensures that this remains safe while children maintain family ties and a sense of identity.

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

Staff use outside security camera systems to help keep children safe. Written consents and polices are available for this use. However, for one child who has an alarm on their bedroom door, there is no written consent and policy available. This shortfall means there are no assurances that its use is proportionate and effective.

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

The recruitment of permanent staff follows safe practice. However, there are shortfalls in the utilisation of agency staff. The manager does not always ensure that recruitment records of agency staff are sufficiently checked. As a result, the manager is not confident that the agency staff are suitable to work in the home.

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

Staff help children to learn positive behaviour, using a system of sanctions and rewards. However, there are shortfalls in the management oversight of the Inspection report children’s home: 2624063 4 sanctions. The manager does not always review the use of sanctions. This means that the manager is not always assured that sanctions given are appropriate and fair.

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

Staff ensure that risk assessments and care plans are clear and regularly reviewed. They complete key worker sessions which offer a space for children to explore events or feelings that promote good behaviour. As a result, the children understand what is expected of them and learn to behave well.

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

Staff use physical restraints to prevent the children from harming themselves or others. All records of physical restraints are detailed, and the manager has clear oversight of these records. Reflection on incidents takes place and involves both the children and staff concerned. This enables the staff and children to think about ways to prevent such events happening again.

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

Staff understand the children’s trauma and their experiences. Staff take advice in putting in place strategies offered by the therapy team to promote boundaries for children and bringing structure to their days. This helps the children to learn how to express their feelings. This means that the children are better able to manage their own emotions appropriately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and brings a wealth of experience of working in early years. She is supported by a skilled assistant manager, and together they form a strong team. Most members of the staff team are experienced in working in educational settings. They are committed to providing good-quality care to the children and are enthusiastic about the future of the home. Staff say they are happy and feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses external and internal monitoring to review the quality of the care and progress of the children. On the whole, the monitoring of the independent visitor provides challenge to the manager and holds them accountable. However, parents’ views have not been sought since the home opened. This means that the monitoring evaluation is limited in providing the rigor necessary to encourage improvement of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular informal and formal supervision. Formal supervision does not always reflect the progress of the children. This shortfall means that the staff are not always provided with space and time to scrutinise and challenge their practice in order to improve the outcomes for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a mandatory induction training schedule and a range of ongoing training, including safeguarding, ligature awareness, attachment, and trauma. This provides a route for staff to develop their professional competence. Staff benefit from input from the clinical team, whose members deliver courses that support the therapeutic parenting that the home offers. This ensures that all staff are equipped to effectively care for the children in the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2624063 5 Effective multi-agency working ensures that the needs of the children remain at the centre of practice. The manager shares information with social workers and the designated officer when allegations are made against staff. This helps to effectively identify strategies to ensure that the children are safeguarded. Inspection report children’s home: 2624063 6

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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 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 4 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 4 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person— 4 March 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2624063 7 if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should support the independent visitor to seek feedback from the families of children living in the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them.(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that systems are in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice, from an appropriately and experienced professional which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 2624063 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 St. James’s Street, Nottingham NG1 6FG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anthony Gallaher

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Inspector

Evelyn Chafota, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2624063 9 regulates and inspects 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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