Children's Home run by Doncaster Children‟s Services Trust Limited in Doncaster

Inspection report for children’s home: SC032167 1 SC032167 Registered provider: Doncaster Children’s Services Trust Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A trust runs this children’s home which can provide care for up to 10 children with physical and/or learning disabilities. Currently, the service offers short breaks including a combination of overnight care for up four children, and day care during school holidays. The manager has been registered since February 2022.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last completed a monitoring visit at this setting on 24 March 2021. This was conducted off site. Six requirements and two recommendations were made.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC032167 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/06/2019 Full Good 30/04/2018 Full Outstanding 03/01/2018 Full Good 09/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC032167 3

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy their short breaks. Good, daily routines ensure that staff prepare for children’s arrival and greet them enthusiastically. A parent said: ‘It’s brilliant, [child] absolutely loves it.’

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improvement to be good

Children visit the home before having their first stay, prior to which professionals, family and the manager meet and confirm how to meet the child’s needs. This process continues when children are old enough to move to adult services. The manager’s ongoing assessments ensure that children continue to be matched in a manner which promotes positive time with their peers. This helps children feel comfortable and make progress.

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improvement to be good

Children take part in a range of activities and spend time with staff who are nurturing, attentive and know them well. Children go on trips to the seaside and have fun in their local area. At home, children make great use of the sensory room and the plentiful play equipment in the garden. Children enjoy sociable and stimulating activities that they like to do both inside and outside of the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand children’s learning needs and they communicate with the children’s schools effectively. Children attend school and the routine use of home/school diaries informs staff of how the child’s day has gone. Link workers use education, health and care plans to identify targets for children and monitor how they progress.

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improvement to be good

Children make progressive steps as staff support them to become more independent. ‘My Journey’ books capture children’s achievements and how they spend their time. For some, this extends over a number of years. Children learn how to make meals and complete tasks such as hoovering and watering the garden. As children move on, they take positive memories with them.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care plans explain their preferred method of communication. Pictures and social stories assist children to understand specific situations and express what they want to do. Monthly children’s meetings enable children to share their experiences and make choices about their-day-to-day plans. However, a response to the requests children make is not recorded. Some children have ‘my chat’ time with staff, but the records do not always include the children’s contributions. It is unclear how children’s choices are acted on or how the views of children who are non-verbal are sought. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032167 4

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improvement to be good

A rigorous approach to fire safety ensures that children know what to do in an emergency situation. Staff provide reassurance and prepare children who may feel anxious in participating in a fire evacuation. This helps children to feel safe.

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improvement to be good

Children’s specific health needs are managed well. Staff understand how to care for children as they have specialised training and protocols to follow. The use of visual monitors is agreed at night-time through written consent. This extra measure protects children as it alerts staff should they become unwell.

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improvement to be good

The manager explores the underlying causes for children’s behaviours that result in incidents. As a result, changes were made to the approach of managing one child’s physical health and auditory needs. Incidents for this child are now less frequent.

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improvement to be good

Physical interventions are rarely used as staff respond to children and de-escalate situations effectively. The manager has a timely approach to evaluating the proportionality of holds and ensures that staff reflect on the support they provide children. One record lacks clarity on the support given to a child immediately after an intervention. Debriefs with children do not take place and staff do not complete direct work with children to help them understand their behaviours. The children’s views and feelings around incidents and physical interventions are unknown, as staff are not creative in providing opportunities for children to reflect and learn.

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improvement to be good

The manager, in partnership with the local authority designated officer, has investigated the conduct of staff. However, records relating to the arrangements to manage risk are not sufficient. Ineffective communication has meant that one allegation has not progressed in line with this procedure and the regulator has not been informed. This delay and the lack of a clear safety plan increases the vulnerability of both children and staff.

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good

The newly registered manager is suitably qualified. Staff attend training and additional learning to support the needs of the children they care for. They are developing skills to become reflective practitioners. The staff team is longstanding and experienced in its role.

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good

The manager promotes career progression for staff. Target setting and monitoring through annual performance reviews and supervisions, alongside opportunities to act in more senior roles, enhance staff’s personal development. Staff feel confident and well supported. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032167 5 Staff work collaboratively with professionals and families. The manager uses feedback from parents and outcomes of complaints to improve the support children receive.

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good

The manager’s expectations are that staff read and sign children’s plans, but not all staff record this. Children’s plans do not always include current information. This does not ensure that staff have the knowledge regarding the care that children require. The recommendation raised at the monitoring visit to ensure the timely review of children’s records and staff’s knowledge of their contents is not yet fully met.

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good

Staff understand their responsibilities for the safe storage and administration of children’s medication. Improved processes ensure that records include the quantities of medication being held. Monthly medication audits, however, are not robust, which increases the risks of recording and administration discrepancies going unnoticed.

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good

Ofsted has not been informed of all significant events. This limits the regulator’s understanding of how the service safeguards children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032167 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that direct work with children is undertaken in a manner which is in line with their individual communication needs, and that the records of one- to-one sessions include the children’s contributions.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the actions taken in response to requests made by children during group meetings are recorded. 13 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 13 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC032167 7 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(b) (2)(a)(v))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff help children learn about their behaviour in line with their level of understanding.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located. (Regulation 34 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that risk management plans are in place while investigations into staff conduct take place and that staff understand and implement the correct procedure should a child make an allegation. 13 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that incident reports demonstrate the support provided to children directly after an intervention, and that they have spoken to the child through a debrief about the measure used. 13 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 13 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC032167 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s care plans contain up-to-date information and evidence that the staff have read and understood the content of the documents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that there is a thorough audit system in place for overseeing children’s medication. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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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: SC032167 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Doncaster Children’s Services Trust Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Colonnades House, Duke Street, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN1 1ER

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Catherine Richardson

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Inspector

Alexandra Howitt, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC032167 10 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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