Children's Home run by Capstone Care Provider Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC392712 1 SC392712 Registered provider: Capstone Care Provider Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It provides care for up to three children with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a manager who has applied for registration.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 30 November 2021

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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: SC392712 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/11/2021 Full Good 04/02/2020 Full Good 20/11/2019 Full Inadequate 30/08/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC392712 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are receiving positive care from staff who know them well. Staff and children have strong and stable relationships. A child said, ‘I give it nine out of 10 and I’m safe here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. All areas are well maintained and homely. The manager has ensured that there is a positive environment for staff and children. Children trust staff. They feel that staff are invested in them, and this has led to very positive relationships. These positive relationships help children to make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has gone above and beyond to support a child to engage and achieve in education. Despite previously being out of school, the child has now taken qualifications. This was made possible by the manager taking an invigilator qualification. The manager worked with education colleagues to creatively break down barriers, to support the child to achieve. Everyone is proud of the child. Staff celebrate children’s achievements, no matter what these are.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are receiving good and consistent care from a core group of staff. The staff team had been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and there has been a high staff turnover. The staff team is still recovering from this period but staff are working well as a team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can share their views about any aspects of their care. Children’s views are recorded and acted upon whenever possible. Children know how to make complaints. Any complaint is taken seriously, and children are appropriately responded to. Staff cover several important areas relating to children’s lives through individual key-work sessions with children. However, insufficient information is recorded following significant events, which impedes understanding of what took place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who are placed a long distance from their homes do not have access to an advocacy service. This would further benefit children in accessing services that they need in a timely manner.

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improvement to be good

Managers have not escalated their concerns effectively when local authorities have not responded in a timely manner. This is having an impact on the day-to-day care arrangements for one child. For example, the child is not able to access the specialist support they require. In addition, there are delays in risk assessments being reviewed, due to the delays in responses from a local authority. Inspection report for children's home: SC392712 4 Risk assessments are not always reviewed following incidents. For instance, one child’s risks had increased but the risk assessment did not reflect this. There is delay in reviewing children’s risks with external agencies. Risk assessments are unduly lengthy and do not always detail with clarity the child’s risks. However, staff understand the children very well and take action to keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

A child who had previously made progress in relation to criminal exploitation has regressed. Staff and the local authority are concerned about this. The progress that children make regarding risk reduction is not always sustained. Despite this concern, there was recent evidence of a reduction in missing-from-care episodes.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing, staff understand what actions to take. They ensure that children are safe and returned home quickly. There is a coordinated response from all agencies. There was a recommendation made by police following a recent incident, relating to a security matter. This had not been followed up. Leaders had not prioritised the preventative measures recommended by other agencies.

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improvement to be good

Positive relationships help children reduce behaviours that challenge. There have been no physical interventions because children have been far more settled.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment checks on staff members take place prior to them working in the home. The manager is confident that safe recruitment practices are implemented and staff working in the home are safe to care for vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is relatively new to the home and in the process of becoming registered. He is experienced and a qualified social worker. The manager has high hopes and aspirations for children. He is a positive mentor and advocate for children. Involved agencies and the children all praise the manager for his commitment and dedication to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is meticulous in his attention to all incidents and events. The staff ensure that all relevant agencies are notified immediately of any safeguarding matters. However, there is not always a clear audit trail of what actions were taken to follow up on safeguarding incidents. The manager has a plan for how to develop this area of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive mandatory training. New staff report that they have a good induction that equips them to work with the children. Staff have not yet received specific training in relation to online safety risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, good-quality supervision. Staff report being able to approach managers and feel supported and listened to. A new staff member said, ‘There is good teamwork here.’ Leaders have recently appointed a new suitably experienced deputy manager to support the management of the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC392712 5 Agencies and a parent said the staff team is doing a good job and that children make progress from the time they move to the home. A parent said, ‘They are fantastic with him and with their support he has managed to complete some qualifications. They support me and I do not feel on my own.’ Where appropriate, staff work hard at securing positive relationships with families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good-quality assurance systems. He understands the strengths and weaknesses in care practice. The manager has a robust development plan, informed by the independent visitor reports and his own quality assurance monitoring. The manager has a good vision for the future and how children can be supported going forward. Inspection report for children's home: SC392712 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to ensuring that risk assessments are amended and reviewed in a timely manner following incidents and that advice from partner safeguarding agencies is followed. 13 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to the registered person ensuring that when matters are delayed for children due to poor communication from local authorities, this is escalated. 13 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC392712 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible this should be provided by a person that the child chooses. Looked after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  The registered person should ensure that children feel safe and are safe. Staff should support children to be aware of and manage their own safety, both inside and outside the home, to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: SC392712 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Capstone Care Provider Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Renewal Trust Business Centre, 3 Hawksworth Street, Nottingham NG3 2EG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Trevor Edinborough

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Inspector

Bev Allison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC392712 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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