Children's home run by Derbyshire County Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2642643 1 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

The home is owned by a local authority. It is registered to provide care for four children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since it opened in June 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced 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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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 previously inspected

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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 for children’s home: 2642643 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2642643 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive very good care in a comfortable, family-like environment. The home has recently been refurbished to a high standard, which the children and staff are very proud of. The children have a real sense of ownership of their home. Children cook and share meals with their carers, look after the home’s dog and take an interest in the garden. They express themselves through the personalisation of their rooms. As a result, children are very happy and settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff nurture and cherish the children. Respect and empathy are at the heart of their care practice. Children know they can talk to staff about their worries and celebrate their achievements with staff. This has enabled children to build trusting relationships in a relatively short period of time. Children keep in touch with staff after they have left the home because they have developed such strong bonds.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with good support to attend school and college. When children struggle to achieve good attendance, the manager and staff sensitively encourage children to re-establish their school routine. They work with other agencies to find the right education packages for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to complain or raise issues. The manager responds openly to any complaints from children because he views any complaints as an opportunity to improve the quality of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in many areas of their lives. They respond well to the emotional support provided by staff. Children are becoming more emotionally resilient as they build strong relationships with staff. Children are strongly encouraged and supported to see family and friends because the manager and staff know how important this is to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are fully included in their care planning. The staff support children to attend relevant meetings. Children feel empowered to be part of the decisions made about their lives. The staff write children’s care plans in an accessible, sensitive and child- friendly manner.

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

The manager and staff work hard to ensure the safety of children. They understand each child’s particular vulnerabilities. Child-centred risk assessments are written clearly. They include up-to-date and pertinent information that is reviewed regularly. When new risks emerge, the manager and staff respond quickly and work effectively with other agencies to safeguard children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2642643 4 Children are not currently going missing from care. However, there have previously been a number of missing from care incidents, which received a well-coordinated response. The manager and staff have dealt with any high-risk situations well and worked constructively with the police to protect children.

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

Staff use their skills and their knowledge of children to keep incidents to a minimum. They maintain a calm, stable atmosphere in the home, which prevents situations from escalating. Children and staff are proud of their good relationships, and this contributes to the fact that there is very little conflict. This creates stability and security for children.

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

The manager and staff complete regular direct work with children to help them increase their understanding of different types of harm. This is undertaken in a therapeutic way which enables children to manage difficult discussions. As a result, children develop self-awareness and become safer.

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

The manager has strong links with safeguarding agencies and works effectively to ensure that any concerns are addressed. There has been a breach of data protection which had the potential to have a significant impact on children. Leaders and managers ensured that there was a thorough investigation, and robust steps were taken to keep children safe and protected from harm. The manager has implemented measures to ensure that breaches do not happen again.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a very strong manager leading the home. He demonstrates a high level of integrity in his management style. The deputy manager shares his vision of establishing a home that does not institutionalise children. An example is a new way of managing the ‘handover’ of information between staff that does not raise anxiety for children. The manager recognises the importance of ensuring that everyone who works in the home is unified in this approach to ensure that there is consistency of care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has the confidence to question the validity of long-standing practices within the sector. He uses his skills and knowledge of different theories to implement more empowering approaches, which are benefiting children. Consequently, children become more confident and assertive in their communication with adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have used safe recruitment processes to establish a suitably qualified and experienced team. They are steadily building a culture of mutual trust and autonomy which the staff value and appreciate. Performance issues are managed well through supervision, training and, where necessary, formal procedures. As a result, areas for development are addressed so that the experiences of children are continually reviewed and improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive good-quality supervision and appraisals which support them to focus on the needs of children and develop their practice. This includes regular opportunities for reflective practice discussions with a specialist external agency. Inspection report for children’s home: 2642643 5 Managers have built strong relationships with other agencies and professionals. This means that children benefit from access to a range of specialist services. The manager challenges other agencies effectively when children’s care plans are not progressing. He works hard to overcome barriers to improve outcomes for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2642643 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. Everyone working at the home must understand their roles and responsibilities and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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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: 2642643 7

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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

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2642643 8 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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