Children's home run by North East Lincolnshire Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC394101 1 SC394101 Registered provider: North East Lincolnshire Council Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home in May 2021. A new manager is in post, and she has applied to be registered with Ofsted.

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Inspection date: 3 March 2022

Date of last inspection: 29 September 2021

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Inspection date: 3 March 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 3 March 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC394101 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection in September 2021, leaders and managers have taken sufficient action to address the seven requirements raised at that time. However, Ofsted has raised one further requirement and one recommendation as a result of this inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children have made progress since the last inspection. Children are forming trusting relationships with staff, which helps them to accept the staff’s support and develop a sense of belonging. Staff set clear routines and boundaries to help the children to feel cared for and safe. Children are re-engaging in education and attending necessary appointments, including health appointments, youth offending sessions and drug misuse support.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A child’s recent move into the home was well planned, with extensive introductions and visits. Lessons have been learned to ensure that decisions to move children into this home are now based on an assessment of their need. The manager has minimised the disruption to the other children, by completing an in-depth analysis of potential risks to children’s safety and the management of these risks.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children are actively involved in planning their move from the home. Children’s plans are adapted in response to their needs and wishes. For one child this meant that they were able to celebrate their 18th birthday in a planned way, before moving to live with their family. Relationships do not end when children move out of the home. Children receive outreach support through the local authority’s ‘staying close’ arrangements.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager understands the strengths of the service and the areas for development. Further improvements have been made to the fabric of the home, to provide children with a comfortable place to live. The manager creates regular learning opportunities for staff, to enable them to refresh their knowledge. Her reflection on staff practice ensures that staff are held to account and challenged about any practice shortfall.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are better equipped to recognise and respond to children’s risks and behaviours. Incidents are reducing and children are not being physically restrained by staff. Cannabis misuse continues to be a concern for one child. Specialist agencies routinely visit the home to provide education and guidance on the dangers of drug misuse. This support is having the desired positive impact. Inspection report children’s home: SC394101 3 Recruitment processes are in place to address staff vacancies. Increased staffing ratios are required, to meet the needs of all children and provide them with quality time and attention. The manager and the staff go above and beyond to minimise the impact of the staffing shortfalls on the children. Staff spend additional time in the home to ensure that children receive care from staff who they know and trust.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Partnership working with families and professionals helps the staff to meet the needs of the children. The manager reflects on practice, and uses the experience of other specialist agencies to continue to inform practice and care planning for children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The requirements from the last inspection have been met. Internal and external monitoring systems have been developed to address the deficits that were highlighted at the last full inspection. However, although the content in external monitoring reports has improved, these reports are not routinely sent to Ofsted. This delay impacts on the inspector’s oversight of this home. Inspection report children’s home: SC394101 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/11/2019 Full Good 24/10/2018 Full Good 16/01/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC394101 5

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)) 29 April 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. These reports must be sent to Ofsted to enable the inspector to have insight into the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: SC394101 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North East Lincolnshire Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Offices, Knoll Street, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire DN35 8LN

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC394101 7 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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