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

Inspection report for children's home: SC062536 1 SC062536 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 home is operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to six children with emotional, behavioural and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager recently resigned. Interim management arrangements are in place until a new manager is appointed.

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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: 15 October 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC062536 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/10/2019 Full Good 20/08/2018 Full Good 16/08/2017 Full Good 26/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC062536 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living here and have trusting relationships with staff. They make progress and learn valuable life skills. This is because adults invest time in them and listen to them. One child was particularly shy and quiet and would not talk to anyone. She will now speak to people and has grown in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend college or alternative education provisions. When children are not in education or training, staff liaise effectively with the virtual school to resolve this. One child has successfully completed a college course and is motivated to begin the next level. Another child is exploring options for employment or an apprenticeship in the local area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff respect the children’s faith and culture. Children are supported to follow their religion. For example, one child is taken to her preferred place of worship some distance from the home. Staff also support children to source items that meet their individual needs, for example, clothing, food, skin and haircare products. This results in good-quality, individualised care for children and gives them positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children generally move out of the home in a planned way, either to supported accommodation or back to their family. Staff continue to support children who leave the home. One child continues to visit the home, where they receive a warm welcome. This has promoted a positive ending while also considering the feelings of other children living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the emotional and mental health needs of children. They are sensitive and responsive to children’s previous experiences of neglect and trauma. Working collaboratively with a psychologist enhances the care of children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Specialist support from children’s mental health services is accessed quickly for children who require this. Effective partnership working with such services helps to keep children safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is large, with a homely feel to it. Flowers, photos and artwork contribute to this feeling. Staff are also warm and welcoming to visitors. All the children’s bedrooms have good-quality en suite bathrooms. Improvement plans for the home’s layout and decoration are in the early planning stages, ready for a full refurbishment in 2023.

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

Risks to children are identified and understood by the staff. Regular communication with the children’s social workers and families reduces these risks. This results in children becoming safer and risks reducing. Inspection report for children's home: SC062536 4 Children rarely get involved in risky behaviour such as offending or misusing drugs, and incidents of children going missing are also rare. Individual care plans and risk assessments address any known vulnerabilities, such as self-harm, effectively. One child benefits from a multi-agency safety plan which helps to keep them safe. Staff understand this plan and clearly follow the required actions to reduce harm.

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

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted. Staff help children to understand their own behaviour, which results in fewer incidents. Physical restraint has only been used once since 2020. This was to prevent a child from harming themselves. Restorative practice follows all incidents in the home, to help the children repair their relationships with others.

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

Staff understand the risks posed on the internet. They follow safeguarding procedures when this is a concern and prioritise the children’s immediate safety. One child was identified as being at risk of sexual exploitation and radicalisation online. The staff quickly referred this to the placing authority and police. This resulted in early intervention and support for the child.

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

Careful recruitment practices prevent unsuitable people from working in the home. However, full and satisfactory information is not always available in relation to individuals in respect of schedule 2 matters. Some documents are difficult to access as they are kept in different places.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager post has been vacant since January 2022. In addition, there is also a vacant deputy manager post. Action is being taken to resolve this, with recruitment activities under way. In the interim, the remaining deputy manager is being supported by the operations manager, who is suitably experienced. A manager from another home is also offering support to the deputy manager. This has ensured that the home has stable management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff describe the deputy manager as supportive and a good role model. They feel listened to and are encouraged to share their views. Morale in the home is rising because of this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Positive and nurturing relationships between staff and children underpin the culture of the home. Leaders are ambitious for children, making sure their achievements are celebrated. This has led to the development of trusting relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is staffed and resourced to meet the children’s needs. Staffing levels and sickness absence during the pandemic have been a challenge for the home. Leaders and managers devised an action plan to address this. All staff worked extra hours and an increased use of relief staff was required to manage this period. These sensible and child-centred decisions ensured continuity of care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision is effective and child-focused. However, this has not always been provided on a consistent basis by managers. Staff have not always had the Inspection report for children's home: SC062536 5 opportunity to have their performance appraised by a manager. This does not allow the staff opportunities for reflection and continued professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose needs revising to reflect current staffing structures. A copy of this revised document should be sent to Ofsted. Inspection report for children's home: SC062536 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

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the current staffing structure not being accurately reflected in the home’s statement of purpose, which is dated January 2021. 31 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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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)(3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to providing proof of qualifications for staff and having an effective system for accessing such information in the home. 31 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to staff receiving regular supervision and annual appraisal by a manager. 31 March 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC062536 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: SC062536 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Derbyshire County Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Rachael Sprigg, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC062536 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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